Man Utd's first-ever Premier League XI vs Sheff Utd includes unrecognisable ace
Manchester United are back in Premier League action on Saturday night - when they face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Erik ten Hag's side will be keen to beat the Blades after a difficult start to the season. The Red Devils sit 10th in the Premier League after winning just four of their first eight games, while their opponents are bottom of the table with just a point to their name.
This fixture is a famous one, as the first ever Premier League goal was scored in Sheffield United's 2-1 win against Manchester United in August 1992. Blades legend Brian Deane needed just five minutes to find the net before completing his brace. Mark Hughes pulled one back at Bramall Lane, but that wasn't enough for Sir Alex Ferguson's men. But what's Manchester United's first ever Premier League XI doing today? Here's the answer...
Peter Schmeichel
Schmeichel was already one of the best goalkeepers in the world when he made his Premier League debut, winning the European Cup Winners' Cup with Manchester United in 1991 and Euro 1992 with Denmark a year later. The latter triumph was quite a shock.
Schmeichel responded to the Blades' 2-1 victory by winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League with the Red Devils, among other honours. He now works as a pundit and his son Kasper won the Premier League title with Leicester in 2016.
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Denis Irwin
Like Schmeichel, Irwin was also one of Ferguson's most valued players when the inaugural Premier League season got underway. He remained at Old Trafford until 2002 and won countless trophies - including seven Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Irwin joined Wolves after leaving Old Trafford and got his revenge on the Blades by beating them in the 2003 First Division (now Championship) play-off final. He retired in 2004 and now works as a pundit for Manchester United's media team.
Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister were part of Manchester United's first Premier League line up (Popperfoto via Getty Images)Bruce was at the peak of his powers in 1992. Alongside the club's inspirational captain Bryan Robson, the defender led Manchester United to their first league title in 27 years in May 1993. He remained at Old Trafford until 1996 before joining Birmingham City.
Bruce has since enjoyed a 1,000-game career in management - coaching Sheffield United, Huddersfield, Wigan, Crystal Palace, Birmingham, Sunderland, Hull, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle and West Brom. Another job could be just around the corner.
Gary Pallister
Pallister was Bruce's long-term partner at centre-back and stayed at Manchester United until 1998 when Ferguson signed Jaap Stam to replace him. The Englishman retired in 2001 following a spell with Middlesbrough and now works as a pundit.
Clayton Blackmore
The versatile star struggled with injuries after the 1992/93 season, missing the whole of the following campaign. He joined Middlesbrough in the summer of 1994 and went on to play for several clubs - including Barnsley, Notts County and Bangor City - before retiring in 2010. He's since worked as an academy coach at Old Trafford.
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis was a fan favourite at Old Trafford during the nineties (Mike Cooper/Allsport/Getty Images)Kanchelskis was a key member of Ferguson's squad until he was surprisingly sold to Everton in the summer of 1995. Spells with Fiorentina, Rangers, Manchester City, Southampton and others followed before he retired in 2006. The ex-winger has managed several clubs since his retirement and is currently the general manager of Kazakh club Tobol.
Darren Ferguson
Sir Alex's son started his career with Manchester United but was sold to Wolves in 1994 after struggling to nail down a spot at Old Trafford. He went on to play for Sparta Rotterdam and Wrexham before becoming Peterborough's manager in 2007.
Ferguson has since enjoyed a stellar career in management, coaching more than 750 games and winning five promotions. Four of those have been achieved at Peterborough. He's currently 40 matches into his fourth spell at London Road.
Paul Ince
Ince was another player to be surprisingly sold by Ferguson in 1995, as the Manchester United boss made room for the likes of Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Nicky Butt. He continued to play at the highest level for Inter Milan, Liverpool and Middlesbrough.
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The ex-midfielder has worked as a pundit and a manager since hanging up his boots in 2006. He's coached Macclesfield, MK Dons, Blackburn, Notts County and Reading - winning the League Two title and EFL Trophy with MK Dons in 2008.
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs continued playing for Manchester United until 2014 (Getty Images)Remarkably, Giggs went on to play another 22 years after Manchester United's inaugural Premier League fixture - winning 13 titles and two Champions Leagues. The Welshman played more than 1,000 games for club and country before moving into coaching.
Giggs spent time as Manchester United's assistant boss and even took charge of the first team for four games when David Moyes was sacked in 2014. He was also Wales manager between 2018 and 2020 but hasn't worked in football since.
Mark Hughes
The scorer of Manchester United's first-ever Premier League goal left Old Trafford in 1995 and continued playing until 2002 after spells with Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Blackburn. The former Barcelona star was already three years into his managerial career when he hung up his boots, having become Wales' manager in 1999.
Hughes spent five years in charge of Wales before coaching Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke, Southampton and Bradford - chalking up 466 Premier League games. He left Bradford two weeks ago with them 18th in League Two.
Brian McClair
McClair now has his own podcast, Life With Brian (@BanditBus / Twitter)McClair remained at Old Trafford until 1998 before joining Motherwell. He retired six months after his move to Scotland and pursued a career in coaching, spending time as Blackburn's assistant boss and working in Manchester United's academy for 14 years.
McClair now has his own podcast, Life With Brian. He was spotted in a pub in Manchester earlier this year sporting a big bushy beard, with fans describing him as unrecognisable.
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