🚨🗣️ | Bryan Robson, when of our best ever captains talking about the mentality of the
#MUFC youth players (Becks, Scholes, Nev) when they first broke through.
“I knew all the young lads were coming through. I’d watched them in the FA Youth Cup, they were an outstanding team.
I’d just came back from an injury, Sir Alex said to me ‘Robbo, I think you need to play in a Lancashire League game’, [with the ‘A’ team] to sharpen up. We were allowed two overage players in them days so, I said ‘Yeah, boss, I feel as if I need a game.’
So, we’re playing Marine AFC away, like big thug scousers. And I’m going ‘yeah, this is gonna be great. I can see me getting sent off because I’m gonna boot them if they start on the kids.’
And I say this to Eric Harrison [youth team coach] just before the game, ‘Eric, just try and calm me down, because if they start with the young kids you know me, I’m gonna kick them back.’ Eric said ‘no, you just see how the game goes.’
So we kick off, Scholesy is centre forward, within ten minutes he cements this six-foot-four centre half. Right over the top of him, centre-half is down on the floor, physio’s on, I ask Scholesy ‘You ok’, ‘Why wouldn’t I be, Robbo?’ Ok, fair enough.
We’re 2-0 up, they get a corner, Nev [Gary] is marking the near post, he goes ten yards away from the near post, and I’m standing in the six yard box ‘Nev, you’re going too far’, ‘Robbo! If they take a short one I can get out there! If they’re gonna knock it in, I’ll get back square on the post!’, ‘Aye, ok, Nev. That’s ok.’
We’re now 4-0, I break up the play in midfield, burst forward, and this lad brings me down right on the edge of the box. I fall on the ball, and as I get up, I hear this *squeaky voice* ‘Robbo, I take these.’ I turn around - it’s Becks. And I go ‘Yeah, fair enough, good on you.’ I’m only the Man Utd captain and he’s giving me orders. Anyway, he puts the ball down, bang, top corner, 5-0.
And I knew then they were always going to be top players. Not just because of their talent, but the mentality. When they can talk to the skipper like that, who’s far older, they’ve just got that mentality of winners. So I haven’t been booked, haven’t been sent off, because I haven’t had to look after them.
And Eric Harrison just goes to me, ‘Robbo, do you think they’re ok?’, ‘Aye, they’re ok Eric, they’re ok.’” - Bryan Robson