The fascinating hand-scribbled notes and rare video that reveal an early insight into the minds of Beckham, Giggs, Neville and Scholes as they took their first steps to becoming Manchester United legends

There were many secrets to Sir Alex Ferguson's unprecedented success at Manchester United and, judging by these documents, early preparation was one of them.

Back in the early 1990s, Ferguson's famous youth team, which included the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, were asked to make notes in preparation for dealing with professional football.



A 17-year-old Beckham highlighted the 1991 Youth Cup final as a game in which he played well. He wrote: 'My best game was the youth cup final in 1991 against Crystal Palace 1st leg when we won 3-1 and everythink (sic) went right and I scored a good goal + set up 1 and the crowd was really good and load (sic).'

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Reflective: David Beckham's notes as a 17-year-old in the early 1990s Raw recruits: Becks looks composed during his first official media date at United in 1992

End of an era: Beckham will retire from football this year after a glittering career at the top



Beckham was not happy with his performance in the second leg, though, claiming that he played c**p and the officials were also c**p.



But Beckham was not the only one to cast a reflective eye over his performance.



Ryan Giggs, perhaps showing what has driven him to such a long and illustrious career, couldn't think of a match he excelled in and, as a result, left that field blank.

He did, however, make a note that his performance against Oldham wasn't good enough. Giggs wrote: 'I got marked out of the game and I must of kicked the ball about twice.'

Scathing: Ryan Giggs couldn't highlight a match in which he played well Medals: Giggs has won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues at United

Still going: The 39-year-old came off the bench against West Brom in a 5-5 draw at the weekend

Gary Neville also took part, and showed how much of a team player he was by not actually mentioning himself in the game in which he played well, instead praising the side's display.

But he described the second leg of the Youth Cup final against Leeds as a game he played badly in, saying he 'didn't feel in the game'. Neville now works as a pundit for Sky Sports in addition to his role as a coach for Roy Hodgson's England team.

Short and sweet: Gary Neville kept his notes very brief One of many: Neville (above) and Beckham (below) lift the Premier League trophy in 1996

Simple: Paul Scholes didn't offer much insight in his notes

Final bow: An emotional Scholes walks back to the dressing room after his final match at The Hawthorns

Paul Scholes was also involved, but his feedback wasn't very insightful. He wrote: 'I thought I played well in the FA Cup semi-final second leg against Millwall in which we needed to win 2-0 to progress to the final.'