48. Nicky Butt

Signed from: Youth team
Debut: 3-0 win vs Oldham Athletic (sub), November 21st 1992
League Record: 210 games (+60 as sub), 21 goals
Sold to: Newcastle United (£2,500,000), July 2004

Another promotion from the famous 1992 youth team, Nicky was a Manchester lad brought up in the Gorton district – a tough area reflected in the man’s no-nonsense style. There have been many more talented lads to put on the shirt, but none could better Butt’s commitment.

His debut came at a point where we were in a major slump of form – any momentum from finishing second in 1991/92 seemed to have vanished in the first season of the Premiership as we went seven league games without winning. The 3-0 win over local rivals Oldham steadied the ship before the next entry would arrive to change just about everything.

Nicky began to establish himself in 1994/95, after the departure of Bryan Robson saw him move to become first in line for a place when injuries hit the main midfield duo. When Paul Ince left in the summer, he stepped in and looked very impressive through 1995/96: aggressive in the tackle, good on the ball and a tidy passer, he looked set to develop into the equal of his predecessor.

It never *quite* worked out for him, sadly, which seems an odd thing to say about someone who made over 250 appearances and played for England 39 times. Yet he was rarely ever a first choice at United, always getting his 30 or so games a season, rarely letting anyone down - it’s a cliché to say, but at just about any other club in England, he’d have been a crucial part of the team.

He did his part in the Treble glories of 1999 - suspensions saw him start the Champions League final, where he did his best in holding the line against Bayern Munich until we made our heroic last dash rush to victory.

As the 21^st century rolled through its initial years, he found himself pushed down the pecking order, though he still managed to play well enough at the 2002 World Cup to earn plaudits from Pele, of all people. By 2005, he was sick of losing out to people who should never have been allowed near a red shirt and he was put on the transfer list at his request. He moved to Newcastle, where he put in plenty of hard work, including becoming club captain, before retiring in 2011 after a short spell playing out in China.

47. David Beckham

Signed from: Youth team
Debut: 1-1 draw vs Brighton and Hove Albion (as sub, League Cup tie), September 23rd 1992
League Record: 237 games (+28 as sub), 62 goals
Sold to: Real Madrid (£25,000,000), July 2003

I have a feeling a lot of people would be surprised at how early he made his debut – it wasn’t for another three years that he cracked the first team after Andrei Kanchelskis was sent packing.

At first, he wasn’t the most exciting prospect of his year group. I remember seeing pictures that suggested if he stepped foot on Old Trafford on a gusty night, he’d get blown away and end up in the canal. Not that he had much chance of getting a game in the first place, as Andrei Kanchelskis had the right wing sewn up but when the Ukrainian got injured at the end of 94/95, young David (who had gone through a short spell on loan at Preston to get some pitch time) made a couple of showings and was obviously impressive enough to take the now-available right wing spot the following season.

Though he missed out on making the 1996 England Euro Championship squad, the first game of the subsequent season saw that his star was on a rapid upward trajectory. Against Wimbledon, he chipped their keeper from inside his own half – goal of the season right away, and setting up his reputation for spectacular long-range goals.

Around this time was the fateful day Victoria Adams rocked up at Old Trafford to do the half-time prize draw. She met young David, setting him down a path where he became far better known to the world as a “celebrity” than a footballer. He managed to keep the balance throughout most the late 90, but in the end the media attention seemed to become too much. Newspaper reports would be about his haircut and clothing rather than his footballing exploits.

Eventually, he fell out with Fergie, not helped by being hit by a boot kicked by the boss in a moment of fury, at was even dropped from the team for a spell in 2002/03. We sold him off to Real Madrid, where he did OK before electing to waste the rest of his career hacking around the US league, intercut with two loan spells at Milan. One of these saw him come up against us in a Champions League tie, where he received a deserved warm reception.

In the final reckoning, he should have spent more time at United. And yet, on the other hand, the guy who took his #7 jersey would end up doing a pretty good job in replacing him...

46. Gary Neville

Signed from: Youth team
Debut: 0-0 draw vs Torpedo Moscow (UEFA Cup tie, as a sub), September 16th 1992
League Record: 380 games (+20 as sub), 5 goals
Sold to: Retired, January 2011

After Ryan Giggs, the second of the famous 1992 FA Youth Cup winning team to make the first team. There’s a fair few more to come…

For his debut, the first leg at Old Trafford, he was probably only thrown in due to the then-foreigner rule severely limiting our options: even Neil Webb, Danny Wallace and Lee Martin got games in these two ties, which ended with us being beaten on penalties in the second leg in Moscow. That game, due to being in Russia, was on fairly early on a weekday afternoon and I remember coming home from school to catch most of it. I think Bruce and Pallister missed the vital pens, though why Pally was taking one is lost to the mists of time.

After that, he spent most the next two years learning his trade in the reserves before taking his chance when Paul Parker’s injury problems saw him drop out of contention. He impressed enough to get into Terry Venables’ England team within a few months of establishing himself, and looked impressive at the 1996 European Championships.

Around this time, he’d formed a superb partnership on the right flank with our next entry that benefited club and country. Nev also had a knack for hurling a throw-in a considerable distance, which proved useful. What he never seemed to have was much respect from fans of other teams: he was certainly the subject of much piss-taking due to his ultra-serious nature. It was hard to imagine Gary out on the tiles on a Saturday night, knocking back £100 cocktails and copping off with random ladies.

However, there's not been many other players as committed to the Red cause than him and nobody in the team enjoyed success more than him. Winning against Liverpool usually brought this out to the hilt and his enjoyment at a late winner against the old enemy cost him a hefty fine from the FA, which he may have felt was worth it anyways.

At the end, his legs had well and truly gone and in 2010/11 he was lucky to stay on the pitch in games at Stoke and West Brom after some bad tackles. The latter game also saw him somehow avoid giving away a penalty, a moment that had Baggies fans justifiably enraged. Credit to the man, he knew the game was up and announced his retirement from playing within days. Since then, he’s become an articulate pundit for Sky Sports, a job he shares after he strangely went to work on the coaching team for England.

45. Dion Dublin

Signed from: Cambridge United (£1,000,000), August 1992
Debut: 1-2 loss vs Sheffield United (as sub), August 15th 1992
League Record: 4 games (+8 as sub), 2 goals
Sold to: Coventry City (£2,000,000), summer of 1994

Hard (ahem) to mention Dion without making reference to his manhood looking like “a tin of vim with an orange at the end”. So the legend goes, anyways, but by all accounts he may have been the (cough) 'longest' player we've had. The first new signing of the Premiership era as well.

An odd signing on some levels, Dion had been a big star in a Cambridge side that nearly made the top flight. His role in the team, essentially, was to get his lovely smooth head onto the end of the numerous long balls hoofed up the pitch. A record of one goal in three was apparently enough to convince Fergie to splash out a million, the fee mostly covered by selling Mark Robins to Norwich – the club Dion incidentally started his career at.

Following two defeats and a draw at the opening of the 1992/93 season, he was thrown into the fray down at Southampton and rewarded us with a late winning goal to get a first victory on the board. Instant (even in minor) place in United history assured.

Two games later, against Crystal Palace, Dion wound up breaking his leg, which pretty much ended his career with us, as a few months later someone else came in struck up a winning partnership up top with Mark Hughes. He made a few showings over the next two years, but was mainly held in reserve. He did manage to score a vital goal in the Spring of 1994 against Oldham, but understandably wanted a chance to prove himself and that summer, moved on to Coventry City. You have to give credit to the management for getting such a high fee for a player who'd hardly set the world on fire at United. All the same, by being such all-round top guy, he always got a good reception on his returns to Old Trafford.

As it turned out, Dion proved his money’s worth by becoming a prolific striker for the Sky Blues and subsequently did the business for Aston Villa too – he could also count himself unlucky not to make the squad for the 1998 World Cup, being joint top Premiership scorer that season. After short spells at Leicester City and Celtic, he finished up back where he started at Norwich, having moved down the pitch to play at centre-back.

Nowadays, he’s often seen on Match of the Day 2, when he’s not inventing musical instruments. Also worth pointing out that despite what some people might say, his dad didn’t play drums in Showaddywaddy. That was the magnificently named Romeo Challenger.

44. Ian Wilkinson

Signed from: youth team
Debut: 1-1 draw vs Cambridge United (League Cup time), October 9th 1992
League Record: None – his debut was his only game
Sold to: Stockport County (free transfer), summer of 1993

First player who I could find no picture of online. Enigma!

Wilkinson got his single run-out due to Peter Schmeichel being out of the country playing for Denmark and usual back-ups Jim Leighton and Gary Walsh being crocked. So, fourth choice keeper, then. No matter, United drew 1-1 and went through to the next round having won the first leg 3-0. With Schmeichel very rarely injured, the re-signing to the experienced Les Sealey and Walsh still around, he was never likely to get anywhere near the first eleven again.

Released on a free, he eventually wound up at Crewe where he played a handful of games in their 1994 promotion to the third tier before injury forced early retirement from the game. Wiki sez he went into academia, eventually graduating as a Doctor of Physiotherapy, but given it also adds he plays Crown Green Bowls (!) at county level, I’m a tad sceptical. If it’s true, though - kudos to him!

43. Paul Parker

Signed from: Queens Park Rangers (£1,700,000), August 1991
Debut: 2-0 win vs Notts County, August 17th 1991
League Record: 100 games (+5 as sub), 1 goal
Sold to: Derby County (free transfer), summer of 1996

The final part of the finest backline United had seen in many years, Paul Parker slotted in at right back alongside Dennis Irwin, Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister, all playing in front of Peter Schmeichel. Parker was also the first to lose his place in the first team, with injuries breaking him down while only in his early 30s.

After serving his first years with Fulham, Parker moved to the top flight when he signed for QPR. Gaining a reputation for his pace and man-marking skills, he made the 1990 World Cup squad and eventually ousted Gary Stevens for the right back position. Sadly, he may be best remembered by many for deflecting a West German free kick over Peter Shilton and into the net. What’s overlooked is that it was his cross that set up Gary Lineker’s equaliser.

No matter, he’d looked sharp in Italy and United were sniffing around even then only for an injury to get in the way. A year later, he was back to fitness and we brought him up North, allowing Dennis Irwin to move over to the left at the expense of poor old Clayton Blackmore. In a way, it’s a surprise he wanted to move, as not too long before, he’d been put through some horrendous racist abuse from the more idiotic United fans.

The move did nothing to help his England career, though: after the 1990 World Cup, new manager Graham Taylor was clearly not a fan, preferring the likes of Lee Dixon for the number two shirt.

No matter – after a slightly stop-start debut season, Parker came back strong in the autumn of 1992, after missing the first few months. Sharp in the tackle with speed to match the vast majority of left wingers he came up against, Parker was a key part of a superb defence. His one league goal came that season, in a 4-1 thumping of Spurs when he picked up the ball inside his own half, ran at a retreating defence, played a one-two with Brian McClair and slotted it away in style. Good example of making your few moments in front of goal look as good as possible.

1993/94 was Parker’s best season: the aforementioned back five only missed seven games between them all as we took the League and Cup double. He looked especially good given he was playing behind Andrei Kanchelskis, a man (unlike Ryan Giggs) who never let the idea of “defensive duties” get in the way of his game.

And that was nearly the end of it, as far as his first team career went. Injuries took their toll, with only one start in the league through 1994/95 and Fergie give a chance to a young local lad we’ll be coming across as entry #46. To make matters worse, his replacement also had a kid brother who wasn’t too bad either, meaning by 1996, Parker was well down the pecking order: he didn’t play enough games to qualify for a third Championship medal and wasn’t in the cup final squad.

Despite that, there was still time that year for one last moment of glory: brought off the bench in a FA Cup tie at Reading, within minutes he’d hit a long range screamer in, though whether it was a shot or a mis-hit cross, only he knows.

Released on a free that summer, he had short spells at Sheffield United and Derby, before finishing his pro career acting as defensive cover at Chelsea. Retired at the age of 33, he’s since done some media work and writes a football column for Yahoo!

42. Peter Schmeichel

Signed from: Brondby (£505,000), August 1991
Debut: 2-0 win vs Notts County, August 17th 1991
League Record: 292 games
Sold to: Sporting Lisbon (free transfer), June 1999

If I'm going to be brutally honest, by my reckoning there's only been three players who crop up in this list who could were without doubt the best in their position in the world. Peter Schmeichel is the first - in simple terms, throughout most the 1990s, he was the best goalkeeper in the business.

United hadn't had a really exceptional goalie for decades. Harry Gregg, signed in 1958, was at the time the most expensive 'keeper in the world, and was voted as the best at that summer's World Cup in Sweden, but injuries prevented him taking part in the glory days of the 1960s. Alex Stepney had been reliable and injury prevented Gary Bailey from maturing into his peak years.

Brian Clough knew how important the man between the sticks was to winning the league: so he bought the best in Peter Shilton. Initially, Fergie struggled with the signing of Jim Leighton failing, and Les Sealey only providing a stopgap. By signing Schmeichel, he'd made a huge move in our exceptional run of success throughout the rest of the decade.

Though we through the League away in his first season, the Big Dane was blameless, keeping plenty of clean sheets and introducing a new attack option with his long throws from goal that would often clear the half-way line. After a short spell of adjustment, he was soon confident in dealing with high balls aimed to the likes of John Fashanu and Mick Harford, his massive frame meaning he could clean out opponents and teammates alike in claiming the ball.

He had an exceptional summer that year, playing a big part in Denmark's unlikely claiming of the European Championships. Bringing that winning mentality back, he played every game in our first Premiership success. Over the next few years, he was untouchable as the best and was always first choice for United, with only a few minor injuries getting the way.

On several occasions, he would throw himself forward to try to save a game. He even managed a goal against Rotor Volgograd in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup, though it was in vain as we went out on away goals. Later that season, he put in what may have been his finest performance. Playing at Newcastle, then our big title rivals, he took everything they threw at him, pulling off a number of sublime saves to secure a vital 1-0 win.

1998/99 would turn out to be his last season. Midway through, he began to look a little jaded and some uncharacteristic mistakes saw him given a small break to take a holiday and get his head together. He came back on top form and played a huge part in our treble triumph. His penalty save from Dennis Bergkamp in the FA Cup semi-final replay lives long in the memory and in the Champions League final a few weeks later, he bombed forward in the last minutes to cause enough confusion to enable an equaliser.

Shortly after, he went off to Portugal, claiming he wasn't up to hectic standard of English football anymore. However, he returned to play for Aston Villa and then, somewhat unfortunately, Manchester City. That left a bad taste in a lot of Red's mouths, especially when he celebrated a win against us.

Despite that, it's interesting that in subsequent media appearances, he's always referred to United as "us". And he remains the best keeper we've had in my lifetime, just about edging a certain Dutchman far, far down the line.