[1] He made his first-team debut as an 18-year-old on 19 February 1958 as part of the makeshift side that beat Sheffield Wednesday in United's first game after the Munich Air Crash.
[3] He was involved in two of the three goals, and The Times' correspondent was impressed:But it was the performance of two young men, Cope at centre-half and the 17-year-old [sic] Pearson at inside-left, that left us rubbing our eyes in astonishment.
He did not make United's side for the 1963 FA Cup Final, where they defeated Leicester City 3–1 to clinch their first major trophy of the post-Munich era.
Despite his regular action for United in the immediate aftermath of the Munich crash, and the deaths of Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan, Pearson was soon faced with competition for a regular place in the team when crash survivors Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet regained fitness, and gained a fresh rival that summer when United signed Albert Quixall.
Over the next few years, competition for places became tighter due to the arrival of new signings David Herd and Denis Law, as well as the form of younger players including Johnny Giles.