How old is man utd team

Walter Crickmer again stepped into the breach as United's caretaker manager. The highlight of Duncan and Crickmer's season was the discovery of Johnny Carey , who would later be recognised as one of the greatest full-backs in football history. Playing 32 games and scoring six goals in a more advanced role, the Irishman helped United to stay up this time, finishing 14th, while City took their turn to be relegated.

There was no time to gloat, however - the outbreak of war put the Football League on hold again, for several years. The outbreak of the Second World War forced football to the very back of people's minds between and But even in the absence of League football, Old Trafford was still the focus of attention. On 11 March , the stadium was bombed during a German air raid. The attack destroyed the main stand, dressing rooms and offices. It was a devastating blow but, within a few years, there would be optimism again around the famous old ground.

It came with a man named Matt Busby, who would prove to be a hugely important figure in the history of Manchester United. These qualities did not go unnoticed by United. Busby joined the Reds in , initially on a five-year contract. Little did he know he would still be managing the club 25 years later!

The young boss did not waste any time making his mark, altering the positions of several key players. Perhaps the most important signing Busby made, however, was on the coaching staff. Matt had met Jimmy Murphy during the war, and identified him as his perfect right-hand man. The pair formed a partnership that would see United become a power in world football.

Busby and Murphy's first step on the road to glory was to build a team that was capable of challenging for domestic honours. It was the club's highest placing for 36 years, and there was extra cause for optimism when the Reserves won their Central League Championship in the same season. Busby's mix of young local lads and established players lifted their first trophy the following year, when beating the Blackpool side of Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen and Harry Johnston in the FA Cup final.

It was 39 years to the day that United had previously won the Cup, in The FA Cup was also the club's first major honour since winning the League Championship in , and recapturing the title would now become the number one target for Busby's men. Surely these fans wouldn't have to wait long to be rewarded with the prize they all craved…. Dressing room dissent led to Johnny Morris departing for Derby and Charlie Mitten exporting his wing wizardry to Colombia. Fans worried by the duo's departure were soon placated.

Not all the young talent was home-grown, however. The United manager was equally happy to plunge into the transfer market, as shown by the big money signings of proven internationals Tommy Taylor and goalkeeper Harry Gregg. Another young man who excelled for club and country was Duncan Edwards. One match that epitomised the new Busby Babes era was against Arsenal at Highbury on 1 February Sadly, what was perhaps their greatest game on English soil was destined to be the last for that particular Manchester United team.

Again they won , this time on aggregate but, on the way home, the celebrations were cut short by tragedy. Duncan Edwards died of his injuries 15 days later in a German hospital. The club, the city of Manchester and the English game entered a long period of mourning.

It seemed inconceivable that United could recover from such an appalling loss. But as Busby defied the medics to recover from his crash wounds, the team bounced back and, patched up by Jimmy Murphy , they reached the FA Cup final in May against all odds.

After the horrors of Munich, the rebuilding process had begun. After building one of the greatest teams seen in England, Matt Busby had to start all over again at the start of the s. The Munich Air Disaster had robbed him, and football, of some of the era's greatest players. But once the great manager had recovered from his own injuries, he set about forging another side to take the world by storm. Dennis Viollet was one of the leading names within this team.

By Viollet had left the club as Busby reshaped his side once more. This next great team still retained a link to the Busby Babes in the shape of Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton , the latter coming through the ranks to break goalscoring records for both club and country.

United's form was erratic at the start of the decade, while new names settled in, but then everything came together with a run to Wembley for the FA Cup Final. Busby's new-look team beat Leicester , with two goals from David Herd and one by Law. The next season saw United build on the foundations of FA Cup success to challenge for the title — finishing second, only four points behind the champions Liverpool. His incredible skill, pace and control left opponents in knots, making him a hit with the fans, while his film-star looks helped elevate his fame to celebrity status.

Law plundered goals galore and was named the European Footballer of the Year. The title-winning team seemed to be the finished article, but they finished a disappointing fourth the following season, and exited both the FA and European Cups in the semi-finals.

The season's highlight had been the away thrashing of Benfica in the European Cup quarter-finals, when Best had been in blistering form and earned the tag the 'El Beatle'. This time, United would go all the way, beating Benfica in the final at Wembley. Jaime Graca equalised Charlton's headed goal to take the game into extra-time, but further goals from Best, Brian Kidd — on his 19th birthday — and Charlton gave United their first European Cup.

Just 10 years after Sir Matt had seen his dream team destroyed, he had delivered the ultimate prize. He was knighted soon afterwards. The following season saw the European champions finish 11th in the league and fail to win a trophy. The Reds also lost the World Club Championship on aggregate to Estudiantes in a match marred by on-field violence. Despite the anti-climatic end to the decade, United had achieved incredible things in the s and few could begrudge Sir Matt's retirement in , after all he'd achieved.

With memories of the European Cup triumph beginning to fade, Manchester United's attentions turned to their managerial vacancy. Sir Matt Busby had led the club to the promised land but had now retired, leaving big boots to fill.

Their decision was to appoint from within, by promoting one of Busby's coaches and former players, Wilf McGuinness , to the senior position. A combination of ageing stars and the lack of overall control in team affairs meant that McGuinness struggled to impose his authority.

Putting popular figures like Denis Law and Shay Brennan on the transfer list didn't help matters, neither did George Best 's distracting off-field behaviour. Wilf wasn't allowed to struggle for too long. On Boxing Day , he was relieved of his duties and Sir Matt was put back in temporary charge.

Frank O'Farrell was the next man to take over in June but, despite a promising start, United's defeat by Crystal Palace on 16 December was the Irishman's last match in charge. The former Aberdeen captain was to become a key player for O'Farrell's successor, Tommy Docherty , who was appointed around Christmas in The Doc's first challenge was to keep the team in the top flight, while gradually replacing the legends of the s.

Law, in fact, was given a free transfer in July , a move which later came back to haunt Docherty. To Docherty's credit, the Reds bounced back very quickly. Lou Macari scored the goal that clinched promotion, at Southampton on 5 April United then reached successive FA Cup finals, losing to Southampton in , but beating Liverpool a year later. The Doc's men rose perfectly to the task of destroying Liverpool's Treble hopes — the Merseyside club won the League Championship and the European Cup on either side of United's triumph.

The joy of that win didn't last very long for the Doc, however. Just 44 days later, he was sacked following off-field revelations. Unfortunately the Reds lost there, to Arsenal in one of the most memorable finishes to an FA Cup final. Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy scored in the last five minutes to bring United back from down, only for Alan Sunderland to grab Arsenal's winner on the brink of extra-time.

Those frenetic last few moments at Wembley summed up the s for United, a decade of high drama when great highs and lows were never far apart.

This time, however, only an eighth-placed finish in the table was secured — a position which the club's board could not tolerate. Sexton was sacked on 30 April , after four seasons in the hot-seat. But it was his on-field acquisitions that really excited the fans. In midfield, the new arrivals wonderfully complemented the finesse of Ray Wilkins , the ball-playing England star.

Dean Henderson D. David de Gea D. Tom Heaton T. Lee Grant Lee Grant. Harry Maguire H. Eric Bailly E. Phil Jones P. Luke Shaw Luke Shaw. Alex Telles A. Aaron Wan-Bissaka A. Diogo Dalot D. Scott McTominay S. Nemanja Matic N. Paul Pogba P. Donny van de Beek D. Fred Fred. Bruno Fernandes B. Jesse Lingard J. Juan Mata Juan Mata. Jadon Sancho J. Marcus Rashford M. Mason Greenwood M. It's basic squad planning. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expects he will still be in charge of Manchester United for their next match after the international break, at Watford.

Guardian , external. Ed Woodward is in talks over taking a consultancy role at the Old Trafford club when he steps down as executive vice-chairman next month. Meanwhile, Watford and Newcastle are keen on taking Manchester United and England defender Phil Jones on loan, with a host of Championship clubs also interested in the year-old. Sun , external. Read Tuesday's full gossip column. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has returned to Norway to spend a few days with his family amid intense speculation about his future.

However, there continues to be huge debate externally about whether he should remain in his job after a horrible spell of results, which includes a record home defeat by Liverpool. It is understood Solskjaer has given his non-international players some time off and he has gone back to Norway, as he did in September and October. Everything you need to know about Manchester United, all in one place. Latest updates.

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