The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 335 Young Eagle Spreads Its Wings

"The Red Devils' outstanding youth training players emerged like a dense school of fish. Their numbers are shocking, and the extraordinary abilities of the geniuses headed by Giggs are also surprising. The Red Devils' young faces are immature but aggressive, with delicate skills and full of passion. They shine as soon as they step onto the stage of official competitions."

--Inscription

Ferguson ended up with nothing in the 94-95 season, but he did gain something in youth training.

Many of the Red Devils' young players have already been given opportunities to play for the senior team this season, and have even become starters or rotation players. Whether it's Lee Martin or Lee Sharp, whether it's Giggs or Robins, they have all appeared in the first team, played in official matches, or even become starters.

After Giggs, there were Gary, Butt, Scholes, Beckham and Phil, a group of young people under 20 years old. They were all members of the FA Youth Cup champions in 92 and are now gradually becoming regulars in the first team. These young guys can't wait to prove themselves, and Ferguson gave them ample opportunities. In the League Cup knockout match, Ferguson sent out a young lineup including Gary, Butt, Gillespie, Beckham, Scholes and Davis against Port Vale, and finally won Port Vale 2-1.

The most famous player in the Red Devils' youth training is Giggs, who is now even more valued than Lee Sharpe. Giggs had a serious injury at the beginning of the season, and the main position of the left winger returned to Lee Sharpe. Lee Sharpe also suffered many injuries, and he performed very well after returning to the main force this season. But unfortunately, Sharpe also suffered a serious injury in the middle of the season, and missed the most important time window in his life. Sharp performed well overall this season, scoring 36 goals and 6 assists in 8 appearances, but he had to stop moving forward at the end of the season due to injuries. When he returned, Lee Sharpe had lost his speed advantage, and was unable to do some feints that required fine control, and could not move to a higher level.

Lee Sharpe was struggling with injuries, and right-back Parker and striker McClair were getting old. The Red Devils' Class of 92 was in the right place and had the opportunity to scramble for replacement. Gary Neville could try right-back, Butt and Scholes could play in midfield, Gillespie and Beckham were eyeing the attacking line, and Simmons, Savage, Phil Neville and others were also eager to compete for playing opportunities. Scholes scored a goal and made an assist, becoming a new alternative among the Red Devils' strikers; another striker, Davis, also scored a goal. Gillespie made a splash against Newcastle, scoring a brilliant goal as a winger, which was admired by the opponent's head coach Keegan.

Among these newcomers, Scholes was the most special. Scholes had never been favored by the coaches of the Red Devils' first team. Only Ferguson had a different vision and gave him the opportunity to play in an official match for the Red Devils for the first time on September 1994, 9. Facing the unknown Port of Vale, Scholes scored two goals as soon as he came on the field, helping the team to win.

Ferguson said after the game: "You always think Scholes is weak and vulnerable, now you can see how much energy he has!"

Scholes got another chance three days later on September 9th, playing for the Red Devils in the league for the first time against Ipswich Town. In this game, Scholes performed even better. He dribbled the ball like a butterfly through the crowd of opponents, passing them without difficulty, and his clever shots made it difficult for the opponent's goalkeeper to defend. In this game, Scholes scored two more goals and continued to help the team win a big victory.

Scoring two goals in two consecutive games, Scholes' brilliance shocked all the media in England.

Scholes, who rose like a comet, then got continuous playing opportunities. This season, Scholes finally played 17 times and scored 5 goals. Although he didn't score many goals in the next 15 games and couldn't repeat the miracle when he first debuted, his performance still delighted the Red Devils fans. Scholes's skills and awareness are also unforgettable. This little guy was very calm when he first appeared on the field. He would not directly fight with the opponent's defenders. He would always use delicate feints or time rhythm changes to deal with the opponent. When he didn't have the ball, he would accurately insert into the empty position to look for opportunities. In the away game against Villa, Scholes used a long pass of more than 60 meters to instigate an attack, helping Ince score a key goal, which attracted the amazement of professionals.

Scholes shined, but another little guy Nicky Butt was no less impressive. Nicky Butt was discovered by Ferguson early on as a defensive midfielder. He came on as a substitute for Ince in the 1991th minute of the Red Devils' home game against Oldham on November 11, 21, becoming the second member of the Class of 65 to break into the first team after Giggs.

Despite his excellent awareness and defensive ability, Butt was still trapped by his body and strength. Although he debuted at about the same time as Giggs, Butt was still at a disadvantage in the confrontation with the opponent's muscular midfielder. In the following 92-93 season and 93-94 season, Butt only got one chance to play, and his performance was not very good. It was not until this season that Butt really gained a foothold by increasing muscle and strength. Butt was a demon-level existence in the Red Devils youth team and was the undisputed core of the midfield. Now he can finally show all this in the Premier League. Butt adapted to the league environment and played better and better in the Red Devils. He won a reputation for his excellent insight and tough interception method, and was called the new generation of Robson.

As a candidate to replace Keane or Ings, Butt often plays the role of intercepting midfielder. Butt is aggressive and proactive in grabbing the ball. He is quick and dares to stay close to the opponent, and has excellent stealing skills. In addition, Butt is very smart. He is good at seeing through the opponent's fake moves and will not be easily deceived by changes of direction or sudden acceleration. He has accurate prediction and excellent ability to regain the ball. When he just joined the first team, Butt was very good at taking advantage of opportunities, controlling rhythm and connecting with the midfield at a very high level.

David Beckham from London also got his chance early, and he got a chance to play for the first team in September 1992. At the age of 9 and 17 days, Beckham couldn't believe it. He was so overjoyed that he had to leave the youth team training base temporarily and take a small plane to the team's base in order to catch up with the game.

In this League Cup match against Brighton, Beckham got about 20 minutes of substitute playing time. When he was told to warm up, he jumped up from his chair excitedly and hit the roof of the bench, causing his teammates to laugh wildly. In the end, Beckham replaced Kanchelskis and completed his debut for the Red Devils.

Beckham signed a professional contract with Manchester United on January 1993, 1, but he didn't get many opportunities because the Red Devils had too many wingers to choose from. It wasn't until December 22, the last Champions League group match for Manchester United, that Beckham got a chance to start. In this match, Beckham played very well. He launched an attack in the opponent's backcourt, passed the opponent's defender and shot into the goal, winning cheers from the fans.

In April 1995, Beckham started for the Red Devils in the league match against Leeds United. His performance in this match was not very good. He lacked tacit understanding with his teammates, and his strength and speed were not advantageous. It was after this match that Beckham realized that he needed to practice passing, especially long-distance passing. He decided to add another item to the extra training, which was the passing of the arc ball and free kicks.

The younger Phil Neville also got a chance to play this season, playing for the Red Devils in the FA Cup fourth round match against Wrexham in January 1995. After the game, the media believed that Phil had great potential, as he could play as a left or right full-back, a blocking midfielder, or even a left midfielder, and his performance was very stable.

After the season ended, the BBC arranged an interview with the young Red Devils players, showing the fans the highlights of the Red Devils youth team. Fans had the opportunity to see Giggs's flexible body, his many fake moves, and how no one could stop him on the left; they also learned that Scholes was actually very reserved and could score all kinds of incredible goals; Butt showed a different side of himself in front of the TV camera, and the story of Beckham's long-distance flight also made the fans feel novel, and his loop ball became a secret weapon that fans were looking forward to.

Ferguson attached great importance to youth training and gave these young guys the opportunity to play when they were very young. Giggs, Butt, Gary, Beckham and others all played for the Red Devils before they were 17. At that time, they had not even signed their first formal professional contract. Ferguson's arrangement greatly stimulated their enthusiasm and made them feel full of honor for the Red Devils.

Keane was the first among the Red Devils to realize the competitiveness of these children. He believed that some of the adult players in the team were not even a match for the youth team. Keane said: "We have a large number of talented young people. They train with us and their level and intensity are no less than ours. We play against them in groups and play intra-squad games. The intensity and level are unimaginable to outsiders. They are ready to seize power at any time and are ambitious to seize every opportunity. I think in the near future, names such as Beckham, Butt, Scholes, and the Neville brothers will become starters. This is a new situation."

Scholes later recalled: "I feel extremely honored to play for the Red Devils. I thank Alex for giving me the opportunity. I never thought I could train with the main players, let alone play together. Eric Cantona's level is very high and his posture is very elegant. I learned from him very seriously, but I was always far behind. The same is true for others. I learned from McClair's back-running, Hughes's powerful long-range shots, Robson's control and transfer of the ball... I cherish the opportunity to train with the first-team players and always try to imitate their techniques."

For these young people, almost everyone has a teacher and a main player as a model for learning. Beckham often learns Kanchelskis's movement and technique as an art, and has been imitating Irwin's free kicks. Gary is also learning Irwin's accurate long passes and Parker's defensive positioning experience. As for Butt, he imitated Keane and Ince's various movement and interception movements.

The most unforgettable one is Gary. He said: "Once in a game, Keane yelled at me loudly because I touched the ball one more time to keep my balance before passing the ball. I didn't realize that I made a mistake at the time, but Keane approached me quickly and almost hit me with his head. Looking at the fire in his eyes, I trembled inside. I thought he was going to hit me with his head, but he was yelling at me, 'Get the ball out of here!'"

Gary automatically retorted, "How could I not touch that damn thing?!"

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to? You're going to kill your teammates by doing this, get the fuck out of here!"

Gary suddenly realized fear. Keane's request was very specific and clear, and he could not deny it. It was as if there was a snarling bulldog in front of him, with its mouth wide open, howling wildly at him, and it would swallow him up in one bite in the next second.

Gary said: "I used to think Schmeichel was hard to fool, but now I know Keane is desperate. I just had one extra touch and Keane was going to kill me."

In this way, under Ferguson's careful teaching, Giggs, Scholes, Gary, Butt, Savage, Davis, Beckham, Phil... these young eagles in Carrington are learning to spread their wings and are preparing to fly into the vast sky.