27
STEVE BRUCE
1987–1996Bruce was a hugely popular figure at United,
as much for his whole-hearted approach
and his captaincy credentials as his playing
style, which could occasionally be described
as ‘agricultural’. A late starter who had all
but abandoned hope of playing
professionally, Bruce was well into his
twenties before attracting attention from
the top clubs. He signed for Unite d at the
end of 1987, just before he turned 27, and
his determination brought him over 300
appearances and a handful of very
important goals. Famously never capped by
England, a strange omission, Bruce has since
had a solid managerial career.26
MARTIN BUCHAN
1972–1983Buchan was exactly the sort of player United
needed as they sought, successfully, to
bounce back after relegation, his strength of
character and leadership being just as
important as his play. Captain for six years,
Buchan was the first man to captain both
Scottish and English Cup-winning sides – he
led Aberdeen to victory over Jock Stein’s
Celtic in 1970 – and was a star of the 1977
victory over Liverpool, in which he calmly
marked Kevin Keegan out of the game.
Buchan made over 450 appearances for
United, along with 34 for Scotland, despite
playing in the years when both club and
country were not at their most successful.Welshman Hughes’ time at Unite d was
more eventful than most, encompassing
two separate periods. Born in Wrexham,
‘Sparky’ joined United straight from school,
having been spotted by the club’s North
Wales talent scout Hugh Roberts. He didn’t make his first
team debut for three years but then scored 37 goals in 89
games before being transferred to Barcelona. He returned
to United two years later and went on to make a further
256 appearances and score 83 goals. A quiet soul off the
pitch, on it Hughes was a rampaging force of nature. T he
fans loved his whole-hearted endeavour and spectacular
volleyed goals.24
NEMANJA VIDIC
2006–2014Looking to all the world like a shaven-
headed Eastern European gangster, Vidić
bulked up and quickly adapted to Premier
League life after joining in January 200 6.
Often described as ‘no nonsense’, Vidić was
the perfect foil to the elegant Rio Ferdinand, the brick-wall
stopper who wasn’t interested in bringing the ball out of
defence, just preventing anyone from running through it.
His positional sense and combativeness were much prized
by Ferguson and team-mates alike, as was his bravery in
putting his head in when he knew he was likely to get
clattered. Vidić played over 200 matches for United, won
15 major trophies with them and was named in the PFA
Team of the Year on four separate occasions.25
MARK HUGHES
1980–1986 & 1988–1995
Images
Getty Images
23
DENNIS VIOLLET
1953-1962Viollet came through the ranks at
Unite d and turned professional in 1950,
when he was 17, although he didn’t
make his first-team debut for a further
three years. Lightning fast, he was the
perfect foil for Tommy Taylor’s more
physical presence, and together they terrorised
defences and scored hatfuls of goals – Viollet’s 32 in
a 36-game First Division in 1959–60 remains a club
record. He was surprisingly sold to Stoke in 1962,
having scored 179 goals in 293 appearances.
Manchester born, but a City fan, Viollet moved to
America to coach and was instrumental in
establishing their professional league.THE
STORY OF
MAn UTD́
52 The Story of Man Utd FourFourTwo.com