Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson tipped seven Red Devils youngsters to do great things in 2001 – but what happened to them?
Cast your mind back to 2001, Manchester United had just secured their seventh Premier League title under Ferguson, 83, and the likes of Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and David Beckham – all academy products – were reaching the peak of their powers.
United were and still is a club which puts a huge emphasis on bringing players through the academy and Ferguson was particularly positive about the club’s cohort of youngsters nearly 25 years ago.
"We've got some terrific prospects at Old Trafford," Ferguson told United’s official website at the time.
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"Darren Fletcher, who we hope will get over his broken leg, is good.
"Michael Stewart and Luke Chadwick are doing very well, and John O'Shea's doing well too.
“There's a young left-back called Paul Tierney who's doing well, as is Danny Pugh. But there's a young boy who has started now, he's 16, called Kieran Richardson.
"He's going to be a fantastic player."
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But what happened to the seven players mentioned by Ferguson – and was his assessment of them correct?
Darren Fletcher
Fletcher, 41, went on to have a fantastic playing career and made 342 appearances for United - a period in which he helped the club win 13 trophies including five Premier League titles and a Champions League.
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He left for West Brom in 2015 before moving to Stoke City in 2017 where he played his final two seasons. He retired in 2019.
The former midfielder, who boasts 80 caps for Scotland, has since worked as a technical director at United.
Michael Stewart
Stewart, 44, signed a professional contract in 1998 before making his senior debut for Ferguson’s side in October 2000 during a League Cup match against Watford.
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He made a total of 14 appearances for the Red Devils before signing for Scottish side Hibernian in 2005.
Two years later, he signed for Hibs’ city rivals Hearts before unsuccessful spells at Gençlerbirliği in Turkey and Charlton. He retired in 2011 and now works in the media.
Luke Chadwick
Chadwick, 44, made 40 appearances for United before being loaned to Royal Antwerp, Reading and Burnley.
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He signed a permanent deal at West Ham in 2004 before going on to play for the likes of Stoke, Norwich City and MK Dons.
The former midfielder retired in 2016. Now, Chadwick is often seen on social media and regularly speaks openly about his career.
John O’Shea
The former Republic of Ireland international went on to have a trophy-laden career at United and won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, and a Champions League at the club.
O'Shea, 43, left United in 2011 before going on to make over 200 appearances for Sunderland.
He finished his career at Reading in 2019 and has since worked as a coach.
Paul Tierney
Tierney, 42, was born in Salford and first signed for United’s academy in 1999 before penning a professional contract one year later.
He made his senior debut for the club in 2003 during a League Cup tie against West Brom but struggled to nail down a spot in Ferguson’s side.
After several loan spells at the likes of Crewe, Colchester and Bradford he signed for Scottish outfit Livingston in 2005.
The former left-back also had spells at Blackpool and Stockport before retiring in 2009 after playing for Altrincham.
Danny Pugh
Pugh, 42, made just seven appearances for United but went on to forge a respectable career for himself – playing for the likes of Leeds United, Stoke City and Preston North End.
He officially retired from playing in 2022 and has since coached Port Vale on two separate occasions – in 2019 and 2021.
Kieran Richardson
A player who many fans expected to go on to do great things during his career.
Richardson, 40, made his first appearance for United in a Champions League fixture against Olympiacos in 2002.
During the 2002/03 campaign, he featured sporadically for the senior side but had a huge impact on the club’s youth team - winning the 2003 FA Youth Cup.
Ahead of the 2004/05 season, he was loaned to West Brom to gain first-team experience.
But it was the following season when he really caught the eye by registering six goals and two assists in 36 appearances for Ferguson’s side.
Richardson’s performances earned him eight England caps with all of his Three Lions appearances coming between 2005 and 2006.
However, he failed to nail down a first-team spot at United and signed for Sunderland in 2007.
The Londoner spent five years at the Black Cats before spells at Fulham, Aston Villa and Cardiff City followed.
He retired in 2017.
In 2024, it was reported that he runs a business selling luxury watches.
Topics: Football, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson
Luke Alfred Davies