13 players you forgot played for Man Utd: Brady, Beardsley, Milinkovic-Savic…
Playing for Manchester United is likely to be the pinnacle of most players' careers, which must make it pretty boring once they've been forgotten.
But United are one of the biggest clubs in the world, which means not everyone can call Old Trafford home.
We've taken a look at 13 players you might have forgotten were on the books with the Red Devils.
Pierre BeardsleyFailing to rise to the level at United didn't really hold Beardsley back, but it did contribute to a bizarre career path when he started out as a professional footballer.
After beginning his professional career with Carlisle, Beardsley made the unusual decision to move to the Vancouver Whitecaps. He returned to England joining United in 1982 but only made a solitary appearance in the League Cup and was sent back to Vancouver a year later.
Soon after, he joined boyhood club Newcastle United and became a favorite at St James' Park as well as Liverpool and Everton, also appearing for England at two World Cups.< /p>
* Adopting the voice of Athletico Mince*… dog shit.
Vanja Milinkovic-SavicWhile Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is apparently Manchester United's answer to Leandro Damiao at Tottenham - a ubiquitous rumor every summer - they have already signed and sold his brother.
United spent €1.75million signing Vanja from FK Vojvodina in 2014, with the goalkeeper remaining on loan to the Serbian side for the following season.
Complications with the work permit saw the stopper released in November 2015, and he is now a regular at Serie A's Torino.
Robbie BradyScouted as a 16-year-old while playing for St Kevin's Boys, Brady appeared on the same United youth teams as Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, but only played once only appearance as a substitute for the club.
In 2015, Brady told a story to the Irish Times in which he received a beating from Sir Alex Ferguson for not defending himself when Cristiano Ronaldo beat him to the canteen queue .
“I was still impressed and it may have taken me a little while to figure out what it really takes,” he said.
The Republic of Ireland international eventually established himself in the Premier League with Hull, Norwich and Burnley and now plays for Preston North End in the Championship.
James ChesterSigned for United from the age of eight, Chester captained the reserve team and was even nominated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the Denzil Haroun Award for Reserve Player of the Year in 2009.
>However, the centre-back's only appearance for the club came as a substitute in the second leg of the 2009 League Cup semi-final. Championship Derby at the time of its introduction, only to concede twice and be forced to hold on for a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Chester left Old Trafford for Hull the following season, becoming one of the highest-rated defenders in the second tier before helping them in the Premier League and then moving on to West Brom and Aston Villa.
Garth CrooksYes, before Crooks was renowned for turning his BBC Team of the Week column into a psychedelic rant, the former Tottenham player was briefly loaned out to United in 1983-84, scoring two times in seven first division matches. Danny Higginbotham
One of many youngsters sent on loan to Royal Antwerp at a time when the Belgian side served as United's feeder club, Higginbotham spent most of his career in an ode to sibilance, turning for Southampton , Stoke (over two spells), Sunderland and Sheffield United.
The defender was able to make seven appearances for his boyhood club United, who handed him a four-year contract despite facing a one-year football ban due to a alleged attack on a referee while he was in Belgium.< /p> Danny Weber
"When I was 16, I made the decision that if I was still here at 21 and not in the first team, I should be professional and play first-team football somewhere else", Webber said in 2003 after being rejected for a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.
"I was a bit disappointed that I didn't break through, but there's no point in thinking about what could have been."
While highly rated by United chiefs, the striker had Louis Saha, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Diego Forlan to compete for a place in attack, and so he left for Watford before to play later for Sheffield United, Portsmouth and Leeds.
Andy Goram
Playing for Manchester United is likely to be the pinnacle of most players' careers, which must make it pretty boring once they've been forgotten.
But United are one of the biggest clubs in the world, which means not everyone can call Old Trafford home.
We've taken a look at 13 players you might have forgotten were on the books with the Red Devils.
Pierre BeardsleyFailing to rise to the level at United didn't really hold Beardsley back, but it did contribute to a bizarre career path when he started out as a professional footballer.
After beginning his professional career with Carlisle, Beardsley made the unusual decision to move to the Vancouver Whitecaps. He returned to England joining United in 1982 but only made a solitary appearance in the League Cup and was sent back to Vancouver a year later.
Soon after, he joined boyhood club Newcastle United and became a favorite at St James' Park as well as Liverpool and Everton, also appearing for England at two World Cups.< /p>
* Adopting the voice of Athletico Mince*… dog shit.
Vanja Milinkovic-SavicWhile Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is apparently Manchester United's answer to Leandro Damiao at Tottenham - a ubiquitous rumor every summer - they have already signed and sold his brother.
United spent €1.75million signing Vanja from FK Vojvodina in 2014, with the goalkeeper remaining on loan to the Serbian side for the following season.
Complications with the work permit saw the stopper released in November 2015, and he is now a regular at Serie A's Torino.
Robbie BradyScouted as a 16-year-old while playing for St Kevin's Boys, Brady appeared on the same United youth teams as Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, but only played once only appearance as a substitute for the club.
In 2015, Brady told a story to the Irish Times in which he received a beating from Sir Alex Ferguson for not defending himself when Cristiano Ronaldo beat him to the canteen queue .
“I was still impressed and it may have taken me a little while to figure out what it really takes,” he said.
The Republic of Ireland international eventually established himself in the Premier League with Hull, Norwich and Burnley and now plays for Preston North End in the Championship.
James ChesterSigned for United from the age of eight, Chester captained the reserve team and was even nominated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the Denzil Haroun Award for Reserve Player of the Year in 2009.
>However, the centre-back's only appearance for the club came as a substitute in the second leg of the 2009 League Cup semi-final. Championship Derby at the time of its introduction, only to concede twice and be forced to hold on for a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Chester left Old Trafford for Hull the following season, becoming one of the highest-rated defenders in the second tier before helping them in the Premier League and then moving on to West Brom and Aston Villa.
Garth CrooksYes, before Crooks was renowned for turning his BBC Team of the Week column into a psychedelic rant, the former Tottenham player was briefly loaned out to United in 1983-84, scoring two times in seven first division matches. Danny Higginbotham
One of many youngsters sent on loan to Royal Antwerp at a time when the Belgian side served as United's feeder club, Higginbotham spent most of his career in an ode to sibilance, turning for Southampton , Stoke (over two spells), Sunderland and Sheffield United.
The defender was able to make seven appearances for his boyhood club United, who handed him a four-year contract despite facing a one-year football ban due to a alleged attack on a referee while he was in Belgium.< /p> Danny Weber
"When I was 16, I made the decision that if I was still here at 21 and not in the first team, I should be professional and play first-team football somewhere else", Webber said in 2003 after being rejected for a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.
"I was a bit disappointed that I didn't break through, but there's no point in thinking about what could have been."
While highly rated by United chiefs, the striker had Louis Saha, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Diego Forlan to compete for a place in attack, and so he left for Watford before to play later for Sheffield United, Portsmouth and Leeds.
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