Stretching back to Matt Busby in the 1940s, Manchester United have always given young players a chance in their first team.
Busby built two great teams based around youngsters developed by the club.
The first team tragically never reached its potential, ripped apart because of the Munich air crash in 1958, when United were returning from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade.
Busby built another team based around the talents of Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best, two players developed by the club, that went on to win the European Cup in 1968.
Alex Ferguson carried on the tradition of giving young players a chance during his 26 year reign. The ‘class of 92’ – Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Phil Neville – was the bedrock of United’s tremendous success across three decades.
Ferguson guided United to 13 Premier League titles, two European Cups, five FA Cups and four League Cups, and done so playing attacking football with homegrown players at the nucleus of the side.
Ferguson retired in 2013, but he still maintains his football principles.
The 75-year-old was asked to give his view of Mauricio Pochettino in a recent interview, and he praised the Tottenham Hotspur manager for his focus on giving young players a chance.
“He’s got a lot of youth in his team, which augurs well for the future. I believe in that, I really do, and I have always believed in that,” Ferguson said.
The former Manchester United manager then spoke about his own philosophy, and why he always trusted young players.
“The value is two-fold. One that they’ll always remember the person who gave them a start in life, always will,” Ferguson said.
“And secondly, they create a loyalty base that’s there for life. The young players we had coming through still keep in touch with me, and I think that is an indication of how well it works.
“And also, long-termism. I don’t think short-termism works, I really don’t.”
Ferguson went on to praise Spurs again, and said it looks like they’re building a very competitive team.
You can watch his interview here:
https://youtu.be/oKPG1F4IhRA?t=4m14s
