Little Book of Manchester United (10 page)

*Mark Hughes celebrates after scoring the third goal in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea in 1994.

In January 1995, the arrival of Andy Cole marked the end of Hughes’ time at United and he left for Chelsea for £1.5 million. He has since become a successful manager although fans were not best pleased when he became the boss of arch rivals Manchester City.

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Ince

Paul Ince, born 21 October 1967, provided United with its driving force in midfield during the early 1990s. He arrived in 1989 from West Ham United for £2 million. As a 21-year-old he had talent which was to develop over the six seasons he played for the club. His maturity enabled him to captain England, and he was the first black player to captain his country in a match against the United States, and he is only the fourth United player to captain an international game. In just one season he had gone from England debut to captain.

*Paul Ince in action against Barcelona in the Champions League.

Partnered by Roy Keane in midfield, Ince maintained his tremendous form to be part of the team that won the Double in 1994. He had an incredible ability to run with the ball, setting up the attack for his teammates, while his tackling skills frequently stopped the opposition. His departure from Old Trafford in June 1995 came as a shock, but Alex Ferguson thought that in his last season for the club Ince had underperformed. When Inter Milan offered a record £7 million for the player, his manager decided to let him go.

Ince has now turned his skills to managership and having cut his teeth at Macclesfield went on to manage Blackburn Rovers before moving on to Milton Keynes Dons.

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Jones

Mark Jones, born 15 June 1933, was just 17 when he made his United debut in 1950. Outside of football, Jones was renowned for his pipe-smoking and raising budgies which, alongside his impressive physical appearance, gave the impression of maturity beyond his years.

*Mark Jones, one of the Busby Babes.

He joined the first team during the 1954-55 season, where as centre-half he created a formidable barrier for the opposition. He was renowned for keeping the ball on the move with simple but effective play and for passing the ball quickly. Matt Busby admired and valued his young player but Jones had to share his centre-half position with his friend and teammate Jackie Blanchflower, whose skills were much in demand. Both players were products of the club’s youth system.

Jones, one of the eight United players to be killed at Munich, was 24 when he died.

Jordan

Born in Scotland on 15 December 1951, Joe ‘Jaws’ Jordan intimidated opposing defenders with his direct and physical approach. Jordan was an international player for his country, gaining 52 caps. It was his winning goal that took Scotland to the World Cup Finals for the first time in 16 years in 1974.

*Striker Joe Jordan playing in the third round of the FA Cup at Spurs, January 1980.

After a successful career at Leeds, United signed him for more than £380,000 in 1978, a record fee at the time. As a strong and tall player, his skill and aerial ability made him a fearsome forward. In his time at Old Trafford he made 125 appearances and scored 41 goals. In 1981, Jordan left United to join AC Milan, before joining Verona. He later played for Southampton and Bristol City before taking up management positions at Bristol City, Heart of Midlothian and Celtic where he was assistant manager.

He had a long spell as coach at Portsmouth and when manager Harry Redknapp left to become manager of Tottenham Hotspur, he followed him to the club signing in November 2008.

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Keane

Roy Keane was born 10 August 1971 and started his career at United in 1993 signing for £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest. Already a Republic of Ireland international, Keane proved his worth immediately, scoring two goals on his home debut as United beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0. He was able to celebrate the end of his first season with a League and Cup Double.

*Roy Keane during the Premier League match between United and Blackburn, April 2005.

He established himself in midfield after the departure of Paul Ince at the end of the 1994-95 season and helped United become double Double winners the following year. He succeeded Eric Cantona as captain in 1997, but a cruciate ligament injury kept Keane out for most of the 1997-98 season. The following season saw Keane back in action, however, and his powerful tackling, exceptional passing and his ability to motivate his teammates when he felt their standards were slipping were evident as he captained United to the Premiership title and the FA Cup as well as the European Cup.

* Keane wins the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award, May 2000.

In the European Cup semi-final second leg against Juventus, United were 2-0 down and in need of inspiration. Keane’s header brought United in with a chance as the score became 2-1, but he failed to give up and his encouragement of the team ensured them a 3-2 victory. United were in the Final for the first time in three decades, but he disappointingly missed it through a suspension. Nicknamed ‘Massive’ by the fans, Keane was awarded the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award in 2000 along with the Professional Footballers’ Association award.

After a short spell at Celtic, he took Sunderland to the Premiership in his first management post. He has since walked out on the club and now manages Ipswich.

Kidd

Born on 29 May 1949, Brian Kidd was a keen United supporter whose dreams came true when he signed schoolboy forms at the age of 14. He went on to sign apprentice forms before signing professionally for the team at the start of what was to be a fine career.

Kidd showed excellent form in United’s reserve side and Matt Busby rewarded him with a debut at the start of the 1967-68 season in the Charity Shield when he went on as substitute for the injured David Herd. His impressive form ensured him of a regular first-team place – he only missed four matches during his first season.

On 29 May 1968, Kidd’s 19th birthday, he played in United’s European Cup Final victory over Benfica, scoring the third of United’s four goals. As a tribute from fans, the Beatles classic ‘Hello, Goodbye’ was sung with the chorus words changed to “Eusebio, and I say Kiddo.” Despite being capped for England twice, Kidd’s only honour at United was that European Cup medal and he moved to Arsenal for £110,000 after United’s relegation to the Second Division in 1974. His career was further enhanced by moves to Manchester City, Everton and Bolton Wanderers, before he rejoined Manchester United after spearheading the Professional Footballers’ Association initiative to encourage clubs to work more closely with the community.