Sign up to FREE email alerts from Manchester Evening News - daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

One of the most frequent questions I have been asked is if the Class of ‘92 hadn’t existed did I think I would have played more at United? The simple answer to that is no.

I wasn’t good enough to become established at United regardless of whether the Class of ‘92 came through or not.

If anything I learnt so much from Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and the Nevilles.

They were incredibly talented individuals but the biggest thing I learnt from them was their dedication to be the best they could be.

When I became an apprentice they were establishing themselves in the first team.

Giggs by this time was well established but the others were now coming to prominence.

As apprentices we rarely got afternoons off and you could guarantee whenever we did as we were getting showered ready to go home either Gary or Phil Neville or even Eric Harrison would pop their heads into our dressing room and tell us we were needed in the afternoon for passing practice or heading practice or whatever it was the Nevilles wanted to do.

As a youngster you would get a bit frustrated because you were looking forward to your afternoon off.

But as time went by you began to realise that if the Nevilles were coming back in the afternoon for extra practice and they were already playing in the first team – in fact Gary was now established in the England squad – then it was more than good enough for me.

They always had time for a chat because they had come through the ranks at United.

But the biggest thing I learnt was in order to be the best you could be you had to give everything, be committed and, most importantly, have the desire to keep improving.

They are a humble group but, more importantly, they were all very close from growing up together at United.

When I was in the Centre of Excellence in the late 1980s early ‘90s they were schoolboy and apprentices.

We would be training in the evening and they would come and join in.

Giggs, Butt, Scholes and the Nevilles have just bought Salford City.

It’s great to see that United greats, and northerners to boot, have decided to put something back into where it all started for them.

I’m sure there will be a big emphasis on youth there and producing players through the ranks.

I’m sure Salford City will benefit greatly from this and I wish them all the success they deserve.