Manchester United and Scotland have had a long relationship together. Many great Scottish players have donned the red of Manchester United over the years, and many of them have enjoyed great success. One of the main reasons that so many world-class Scottish footballers end up south of the border playing for Manchester United is that two of the best managers ever were from Scotland, and both managed the Manchester club.
While managing the club from 1945 until 1969, Sir Matt Busby signed and coached many Scottish footballers. Like Sir Alex Ferguson, years later, both managers knew Scotland had a wealth of talent that should play on the big stage. Manchester United was at that stage, and many players of Scottish descent won multiple honors and achieved their status as Manchester United Legends. Here are just a few of those players.
Darren Fletcher
Fletcher entered United’s youth academy at age eleven after scouts saw him play for Celtic Boys Club. Even at that young age, it was clear to his coaches that he had a bright future in football. By fifteen, he helped the club lift the 1999-2000 Manchester Senior Cup and was considered for the first team. Fletcher could have made Manchester United and Premier League history after being picked to play in the final game of the 1999-2000 season against Aston Villa. Unfortunately, Premier League rules prevented school boys from playing for the senior team until they were sixteen.
Initially, he played on the rightwing but later moved to a central midfield position (his competition for rightwing was none other than David Beckham) and played 223 games for the first team under Alex Ferguson. He won 6 Premier League Medals and 1 Champions League Medal with United before leaving for West Brom to secure more first-team football in 2015. What Fletcher lacked in skill, determination, and hard work won him many admirers within the game.
Gordon Strachan
The Scottish right-sided midfielder played for Manchester United for five years, and during that time, he was beloved by fans and teammates alike. Football was still in 1985, a sport where even the top players enjoyed going out after the games, playing cards and slots in local casinos, and drinking until dawn. Strachan was more professional than most and would often be the first and last at the training sessions. And the results of his hard work and self-control paid off on the pitch. Scoring 38 goals for the club and assisting many other goals, his career was injury-plagued at Manchester United. Yet, he played with such passion and pride he has firmly rooted himself in the club’s history.
Denis Law
In 1962 Dennis Law signed for Manchester United under the management of Matt Busby for a British record transfer fee of £115,000 (the third time clubs broke that record for his services). Law spent the next eleven years playing for the club, making 404 appearances and scoring 237 goals, making him the highest United goal scorer of all time. Instrumental in the league wins of 1965 and 1967, he, unfortunately, missed out on a European Cup win in 1968 due to injury.
In 1964 Law became the first United and Scottish player to win the Ballon d’Or as best European player of the year. In the latter years of his United career, he became upset with the wage structure the club used and left for his old club Manchester City. Despite this, the Old Trafford faithful still sing his name on match days, and he is the only player to have two statues outside of the ground. His tally of 237 goals has only been improved on by Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton.
