Fergie's Fledglings

The term "Fergie's Fledglings" was first coined by the media in the 1988–89 season[2] to describe a group of young footballers who were introduced into the Manchester United first team by the manager Alex Ferguson.

His predecessor, Ron Atkinson, had guided United to two FA Cup victories and five successive top-four league finishes, but more than 20 years had passed since the club's last league title triumph, in spite of the attempts of different managers to achieve this, which had seen numerous moves being made in the transfer market as well as the inclusion of young players who had come through the youth and reserve teams.

There was some initial success for the Fledglings; in only his second start, Beardsmore inspired the team to a 3–1 win over rivals Liverpool, scoring a goal and setting up the other two, and an injury crisis saw Gill, Graham and Wilson drafted into the first team for an FA Cup third round replay against Queens Park Rangers in which both Gill and Graham scored; however, serious injuries and a failure to build on good early form meant that most of these players did not live up to their initial success and the term "Fergie's Fledglings" was largely abandoned by 1991.

Robins would finish his playing career well into the 21st century at the lower levels and upon retirement moved straight into club management, most notably winning two promotions and a Football League Trophy at Coventry City.

[6][7] The term "Fergie's Fledglings" came back into common usage during the 1995–96 season, after Ferguson largely used this second group of youngsters coming through to replace a number of distinguished older players who had left the club.

The young side, with an average age of just 24, then went on to overturn Newcastle United's 10-point Christmas lead to win the club's third league title in four years.

Gary Neville remained at United for the rest of his career and held the post of team captain following the departure of Roy Keane in 2005, before injuries considerably reduced his appearances, prompting his retirement in February 2011.

[10] Coming on as a substitute in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, he became the club's all-time appearance record holder, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton, the longest-serving of the Busby Babes.

[12] Beckham, Scholes, Butt and Gary Neville returned to play for Manchester United in a friendly match at the end of the 2018–19 season to mark the 20th anniversary of the Treble campaign in 1999.