‘Fergie’s fledglings’ is a term used to describe certain young Manchester United footballers developed under the management of Alex Ferguson. The alliterative term was a direct successor to ‘Busby’s babes’.
When Ferguson was appointed manager during the 1986-1987 season, he was surprised by the under-developed state of the club’s youth programme. Despite the Busby heritage, the club hadn’t won the FA Youth Cup since 1963-1964. Investing in scouting and coaching was therefore a priority as Ferguson began re-building Manchester United. In his early years, he greatly increased the number of scouts working for the club, especially in the Manchester area. He developed centres in Glasgow, Belfast and County Durham, as well as the School of Excellence in Manchester, where players with potential received the right coaching. He retained Eric Harrison as youth team coach and appointed Brian Kidd as Youth Development Officer.
The term ‘Fergie’s fledglings’ was initially used by the media in 1988-1989 when injuries brought a number of young players into the Manchester United first team. Russell Beardsmore, Lee Martin, Mark Robins and Lee Sharpe all appeared in a New Year’s Day victory over Liverpool. Over the next few weeks Tony Gill, Deiniol Graham, Jules Maiorana and David Wilson also played. Although the young team met with reasonable success, the established players inevitably returned once fitness permitted. Opportunities for the young players then further receded when, before the following season, over £8m was spent strengthening the squad. Two of the ‘fledglings’ are still remembered by supporters for significant FA Cup goals during 1989-1990. Mark Robins scored the winner against Nottingham Forest in the third round and Lee Martin the winner in the final replay against Crystal Palace.
After not winning the FA Youth Cup since 1964, Manchester United did win it again in 1991-1992. They were runners-up in 1992-1993 and winners again in 1994-1995. The ‘fledglings’ responsible for this success were a more talented group than the first. They included David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. Each was gradually introduced into the first team and all made telling contributions during the successful 1995-1996 season when, according to Alan Hansen, ‘you would never win anything with kids’. All these young players became international footballers and Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville currently feature in the Manchester United appearances ‘top five’.
The club’s determination to find and develop the best young players sometimes brought conflict. In 1996 Manchester United was found guilty of making certain illegal approaches and, in 2000, it was required to pay compensation after being found guilty of poaching. Despite this, Alex Ferguson retains an excellent reputation for looking after young players and helping them realise their potential. He is often personally involved in encouraging them to sign for Manchester United. He closely monitors their development, instilling in them professional attitudes and offering appropriate help.
Manchester United won the FA Youth Cup again in 2002-2003 and were runners-up in 2006-2007. Under Alex Ferguson, the club continues to offer facilities and opportunities to young footballers. The 1990s ‘fledglings’ remain special in both quantity and quality, but others continue to emerge.
Manchester United 