In brief
In 2001, Sir Alex Ferguson supported seven young Manchester United players to become the team’s legends.
Among them were John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher, who both had successful careers at Old Trafford.
Others, like Danny Pugh, had successful careers abroad despite not performing well at United.
Throughout the Premier League era, Manchester United’s academy has produced a large number of gifted young people. Sir Alex Ferguson gave first-team debuts to a number of young football players who were trying to establish themselves and went on to have prosperous careers.
The renowned ‘Class of ’92’, a group of young people who graduated from the academy and all made their mark on United’s history, included David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes. Ferguson believed that a new crop of young players will emerge and make a name for themselves in the first squad in 2001.
He listed seven individuals he believed were capable of playing football at the highest level. As reported by the Sun, the renowned Scotsman said:
“Darren Fletcher is doing well; we hope he will recover from his shattered leg. John O’Shea, Luke Chadwick, and Michael Stewart are all doing quite well. Paul Tierney, a promising left-back, and Danny Pugh are both performing well. However, a 16-year-old boy named Kieran Richardson has just begun. He’s going to be an amazing athlete.
Regretfully, though, not all seven of the highly regarded individuals went on to attain extraordinary success at Old Trafford. These are the outcomes for every player Fergie supported.
Darren Fletcher
Man Utd appearances: 342
Ferguson hoped Fletcher would recover from his fractured leg, and he did. When the Scot made his United debut two years later, he was only 17 years old. He later made 342 appearances for the team, scoring 24 goals and leading the Red Devils to five Premier League titles.
Unfortunately, a protracted struggle with ulcerative colitis limited him towards the end of his United career. After recovering from the illness, Fletcher left United in 2015 and played for Stoke City and West Brom until retiring in 2019. Fletcher began his managerial career after retiring, rejoining United to coach their Under-16 team before being elevated to main team coach in January 2021. He took over as Old Trafford’s technical director in March 2021, but Jason Wilcox took over in April 2024. Despite this, United stated that he will remain an important figure behind the scenes as a first-team coach.
The career of Darren Fletcher at Manchester United
Games
342
Objectives
24
Helps
31
Honours
FA Cup, League Cup (x3), Club World Cup, Champions League, and Premier League (x5)
Michael Stewart
Man Utd appearances: 14
Stewart made eight league games for United after receiving his first-team debut in a League Cup encounter against Watford in 2000, but he never rose to the level of a regular fixture at Old Trafford. He would leave the club in 2005 to join Hibernian after Roy Keane once predicted that he would eventually play for a pub team.
He played 87 league games and scored 12 goals during his best period of his career at Hearts. Stewart ended his career in 2011 following a brief period with Charlton Athletic and a brief stay with Genclerbirligi in Turkey. It’s safe to assume that the Scotsman fell short of Fergie’s projection despite making four appearances for his nation.
The career of Michael Stewart at Manchester United
Games
14
Objectives
0
Helps
0
Honours
Premier League (x3)
Luke Chadwick
Man Utd appearances: 38
During the 2000–01 season, Chadwick made his debut for United, playing 22 games as the squad won the Premier League. He didn’t succeed, though, and left the team in 2004 after making very few appearances over the following few years. He later played for a number of second-tier English clubs, such as West Ham, Stoke City, and Norwich City, before joining MK Dons in League One in 2008. Chadwick played 246 games, scored 24 goals, and won the team’s Player of the Year title twice during his six successful seasons there.
In 2013, he signed with his boyhood team, Cambridge United, but he left two years later. at November 2015, Chadwick left Cambridge to join Soham Town Rangers of the Isthmian League Division One North. He stayed there for a season before coming back to Cambridge to work as a full-time coach at the team’s academy.
The career of Luke Chadwick at Manchester United
Games
38
Objectives
2.
Helps
5.
Honours
Premier League (x2)
John O’Shea
Man Utd appearances: 394
O’Shea, one of the top players to graduate from United’s academy, established a solid reputation as a dependable defender during his productive time there. Before leaving for Sunderland in 2011, he played 393 games for the Red Devils and helped them win 14 major titles.
After a brief stint at Reading, O’Shea ended his career in 2019 after six seasons at The Black Cats. He is the third most-capped player in the history of the Republic of Ireland, having played for them 118 times. After retiring from playing, he joined Reading’s coaching staff, although he departed the team in July 2021. Prior to becoming Stoke’s first-team coach in 2022, he was appointed assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland U21 squad in April 2020.
When he was promoted to assistant manager under manager Stephen Kenny, he returned to Ireland duty. However, he quit that position when Wayne Rooney was hired as manager of Birmingham City and joined the first squad as a coach. He is currently back coaching the national team of the Republic of Ireland, serving as Heimir Hallgrimsson’s assistant coach.
The career of John O’Shea at Manchester United
Games
394
Objectives
15.
Helps
23
Honours
FA Cup, League Cup (x2), Club World Cup, Champions League, and Premier League (x5)
Paul Tierney
Man Utd appearances: 1
Ferguson had high expectations for Tierney, but he fell short. Before leaving United in 2005, he only played in one first team match. He did receive the club’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award, which is given to the finest academy player of the year. Previous winners of this honour include Marcus Rashford, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs. However, unlike the three named above, Tierney was never able to make a name for himself.
In 2008, at the age of 26, he signed with Conference team Altrincham after enjoying brief stints with Livingston and Blackpool. Altrincham turned out to be the final team he played for in his professional career, and he only stayed there for a month.
The career of Paul Tierney with Manchester United
Games
One
Objectives
0
Helps
0
Honours
Not one
Danny Pugh
Man Utd appearances: 7
Pugh only made seven first team appearances, so he may never have established himself as a regular at United, but he did have a respectable career. Before making 37 Premier League games with Stoke City, he played for teams like Leeds United and Preston North End. He can play in midfield or at left-back.
After a stint with Port Vale in 2020, Pugh decided to focus on coaching and concluded his playing career. With a combined record of two victories in seven games, he has served as the club’s interim manager twice. Pugh played for Hanley Town in the Midland League Premier Division after departing as interim manager. In September 2023, he became a first-team coach at seventh-tier Leek Town.
The career of Danny Pugh at Manchester United
Games
7.
Objectives
0
Helps
0
Honours
FA Cup and Premier League
Kieran Richardson
Man Utd appearances: 81
Although Richardson had a respectable Premier League career, he never made a name for himself at United, and Ferguson had great expectations for him. Before moving to Sunderland in 2007 for £5.5 million, he made his Red Devils debut in 2002 and played 81 games for the team, scoring 11 goals.
In addition to playing 149 games for Sunderland, he also made appearances for Cardiff City in the Championship and Fulham and Aston Villa in the Premier League. Although Richardson did make an appearance in the England squad, gaining eight caps and scoring twice, it was hardly what Ferguson had anticipated in 2001. At the age of 33, he would leave the game, and he currently makes a career by trading pricey watches.
The career of Kieran Richardson at Manchester United
Games
81
Objectives
11.
Helps
4.
Honours
League Cup, FA Cup, and Premier League (x2)
xz
