In 2001, former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson predicted that seven young players for the Red Devils would go on to do great things. However, what happened to those young players?
When you go back to the year 2001, Manchester United had just won their seventh Premier League title under the leadership of Ferguson, who was 83 years old at the time. Players such as Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and David Beckham, who had all come through the academy, were at the pinnacle of their abilities.
Ferguson had a particularly favourable attitude towards the club’s group of young players about twenty-five years ago. United was and still is a club that places a significant focus on bringing players through the academy.
“We’ve got some terrific prospects at Old Trafford,” Ferguson said on the official website of Manchester United at the time.
Our best wishes are with Darren Fletcher, who we are hopeful will recover from his fractured leg.
In addition to John O’Shea, Michael Stewart and Luke Chadwick are performing extremely well. John O’Shea is successful as well.
Both Danny Pugh and Paul Tierney, a young left-back, are performing admirably. Paul Tierney is also doing well. Nevertheless, there is a young lad named Kieran Richardson who has begun at this time. He is sixteen years old.
“He’s going to be a fantastic player.”
On the other hand, what happened to the seven guys that Ferguson highlighted, and was his evaluation of them accurate?
This is Darren Fletcher.
Thereafter, Fletcher, who is now 41 years old, went on to have a remarkable playing career and made 342 appearances for United. During this time, he was instrumental in the club’s achievement of 13 trophies, including five Premier League crowns and a Champions League triumph.
Following his departure from West Brom in 2015, he moved to Stoke City in 2017, where he remained for the remaining two seasons of his career. In 2019, he took his retirement.
Since his retirement, the former midfielder, who has earned a total of eighty caps for Scotland, has been employed by United as a technical director.
Before making his senior debut for Ferguson’s side in October 2000, Michael Stewart Stewart, who is now 44 years old, signed a professional deal in 1998. His first game for the senior squad was a League Cup encounter against Watford.
Before joining with Hibernian in 2005, he played for the Red Devils for a total of fourteen matches before moving on to play for some other team.
After two years, he chose to join with Hibs’ local rivals, Hearts, before attempting unsuccessfully to play for Gençlerbirliği in Turkey and Charlton Football Club. In 2011, he took his retirement and is currently employed in the media.
A. Chadwick, Luke
Chadwick, who is now 44 years old, played for United for a total of forty matches before being loaned out to Royal Antwerp, Reading, and Burnley.
After beginning his career with West Ham in 2004, he went on to play for other clubs such as Stoke, Norwich City, and MK Dons. He secured a permanent contract with West Ham.
In 2016, the former midfielder put his career on hold. Now, Chadwick is frequently visible on social media and frequently discusses his professional life in an open and honest manner.
A. O’Shea, John
In addition to winning five Premier League championships, one FA Cup, two League Cups, and a Champions League while playing for United, the former Republic of Ireland international went on to enjoy a career that was filled with other trophies earned by the club.
O’Shea, who is now 43 years old, departed United in 2011, and he went on to play for Sunderland, where he made more than 200 appearances.
2019 marked the end of his playing career at Reading, and since then, he has been employed as a coach.
Paul Tierney Tierney, who is now 42 years old, was born in Salford. In 1999, he signed his first deal with United’s youth program, and another year later, he got a professional contract.
Although he made his first appearance for the senior team in 2003, it was during a League Cup match against West Brom. However, he had a difficult time securing a berth in Ferguson’s squad.
After playing for a number of different clubs on loan, including Crewe, Colchester, and Bradford, he finally signed for the Scottish club Livingston in the year 2005.
The former left-back also played for Blackpool and Stockport before retiring in 2009 after playing for Altrincham. He had previously played for both of those clubs.
Danny Pugh Pugh, who is now 42 years old, went on to have a good career after making only seven appearances for United. He went on to play for teams such as Leeds United, Stoke City, and Preston North End.
Since his formal retirement from playing in 2022, he has managed Port Vale on two separate occasions, in 2019 and 2021. He announced his retirement from playing in 2022.
It is Kieran Richardson.
Someone who many people anticipated would go on to do great things throughout his career as a footballer.
In 2002, on the occasion of a Champions League match against Olympiacos, Richardson, who was then 40 years old, made his debut for Manchester United.
He had intermittent appearances for the senior squad during the 2002–2003 season, but he was a significant contributor to the club’s junior team, which culminated in the club’s victory in the FA junior Cup in 2003.
At the beginning of the 2004–2005 season, he was loaned to West Brom in order to get experience playing for the first team.
His performance the following year, in which he made 36 appearances for Ferguson’s team and recorded six goals and two assists, was the one that truly brought him to the attention of the public.
Due to his outstanding achievements, Richardson was awarded eight caps for England, with all of his appearances for the Three Lions occurring between the years 2005 and 2006.
However, he was unable to get a berth in the first team at United, and he ultimately decided to sign with Sunderland in 2007.
Prior to his time with the Black Cats, the Londoner played for Fulham, Aston Villa, and Cardiff City. He was with the club for a total of five years.
In 2017, he took his retirement.
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