Debut: 2-0 win vs Queens Park Rangers, August 20th 1994
League Record: 68 games (+17 as sub), 6 goals
Sold to: Burnley (free transfer), summer 2003
With Steve Bruce well into his mid 30s, Ferguson’s first attempt to find a replacement at centre back was David May.
Like Brucie, May was an uncomplicated player. As a child, he’d supported Manchester City and went for a trials. However, he felt their approach to young players wasn't for him, and he headed North to the more homely Blackburn Rovers, at the time going nowhere fast in the old Second Division. By the time local businessman Jack Walker’s millions had pushed them into the top flight in 1992, May was established alongside ex-United star Kevin Moran at the back and they finished runners-up to us in 1993/94.
All the same, it was still a surprise (to me, at least) when he was given the chance to return to Manchester. Initially played at right back, he lost out to the emergence of Gary Neville and he didn't become a regular starter until 1996/97, after Bruce had wandered off to Birmingham City. To his credit, May was in fine form, chipping in with the odd goal and getting a call up to the England squad.
However, injuries then cost him a first team place, and he was pushed further out by the signings of further defenders with a more sophisticated style than May’s typically English blood-and-guts approach. In the treble season, he barely featured at all until the last few weeks, where (to his credit) he came in and did a steady job. To save players for the Champions League final, he started in the FA Cup final and helped us to a easy 2-0 win over Newcastle.
He was, apparently, under consideration to start the CL final due to suspensions to others, but in the end only made the bench, which resulted in him picking up a medal despite not playing any European football that season. His lasting legacy remains his crafty positioning of himself in the pictures of celebrations from this game (see above), and that season ensured United fans had the chant “David May, superstar/got more medals than Shearer” – two league championships, two FA Cups and a Champions League medal, for the record.
After that, he was restricted to no more than a couple of showings a season due to a series of injuries. By the time he was finally shunted out to Burnley, he was 33 and had been kept around a bit too long. By all accounts, something of a Jack the Lad in his younger days, he currently co-hosts a show on MUTV.
David is a Rochdale lad and a panel beater friend of mine told me about this guy who brought his car in and said he needed it doing by 5.30 to get to Ewood. Park. My mate innocently asked him who he was supporting !
ReplyDeleteDavid came through at Blackburn at the same time as one Keith Hill who apparently looked the better player. A Rovers fanatic I used to work with said he'd always backed David to achieve more as he listened and didn't think he was better than he was.
He certainly always comes across as being down-to-earth. Perhaps this is why he's got a regular gig on MUTV, co-hosting a show with Jonny Evans' better half.
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