United’s class of 92 look to show their hunger
It is 10 years to the day since David Beckham made his debut for the club, as a raw 17-year-old in a League Cup tie against Brighton at the Goldstone Ground.
Few could have imagined he would go on to lift every major club prize the game has to offer, become an England regular then return from shame and disgrace to captain his country with such dignity.
Even less likely was that five of his youth team mates would be with him every step of the way.
Ryan Giggs may be a year older, Phil Neville a year younger, but, together with Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, they have formed the heartbeat of a United side which dominated domestically and conquered Europe.
Injury will keep Scholes on the sidelines for the Champions League revenge mission with Bayer Leverkusen tonight, but the rest will the there. Standing together as they have been for a decade, with over 2,000 first team appearances between them.
''For a group of players to come through at one club at the same time like that and play for 10 years is quite exceptional and there is every reason for us to be proud of that,'' said Ferguson.
''It doesn't happen very often and it may not happen to us again.
''They all have the same hunger and desire as when they first emerged and for David in particular, I find the way he handles everything quite incredible.''
The arrival of the new campaign brought well-publicised questions from Ferguson about how motivated his squad really were.
Even skipper Roy Keane questioned the hunger of a team that has won all the game's glittering prizes and have financial security beyond their wildest dreams.
Last year's European reverse at the hands of tomorrow's unheralded opponents was seen as another chance gone begging. But did it really matter, after all most of the Old Trafford squad have already had their hands on the trophy once and the perceived wisdom is United are a club on the slide?
Not according to Ferguson though, if anything, they are about to improve.
''At about 27 you should start to get an extra dimension to your game and develop a cool authority to your play,'' said the United boss.
''A few years ago you were approaching the final stages of your career but because of the improved preparation, this should be the start of your peak years.''
After ending a two-game losing sequence with a single goal win over Tottenham at the weekend, United have at least restored some of the confidence their manager thought had been missing.
Laurent Blanc has recovered from the ankle knock which kept him out against Glenn Hoddle's men and will probably replace John O'Shea in central defence, while Gary Neville is pushing for a recall at right-back, possibly in place of his brother, or even Juan Sebastian Veron given Phil's encouraging recent performances.
Having bemoaned his team's failure to create chances before Saturday, taking them now appears to be the problem for Ferguson's men.
Despite opening up the visitors' defence on numerous occasions, the United boss felt his team were let down by a combination of carelessness and anxiety, and in the end were forced to rely on Ruud van Nistelrooy's penalty to ensure maximum points.
Having netted just six times in seven league outings, United appear to have hit a goalscoring crisis.
However, the picture is confused by their ability to score 10 in their last two Champions League games, including a 5-2 win over Maccabi Haifa.
''The players realise Europe is the biggest stage, the best challenge,'' said Ferguson. ''It is something to look forward to.
''The Premier League is very competitive but Europe is more tactical and you have to put a different slant on things.''
On paper, Leverkusen look a shadow of the side which eliminated Unitedlast term.
Having lost the final to Zinedine Zidane's stunning winner at Hampden Park, in addition to runners-up medals in the German league and cup, Leverkusen also lost their two most influential players Michael Ballack and Ze Roberto to Bayern Munich.
They have managed just two wins all season, Saturday's 3-2 reverse at Werder Bremen sending them tumbling into 15th spot, and suffered a 6-2 mauling against Olympiakos last week which leaves the Germans knowing that another defeat tomorrow would signal almost certain elimination.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
