Alex Notman remembers sitting in the Cliff training ground the morning after the night before. It was Thursday, December 3, 1998 and the previous evening the 19-year-old Scottish striker had made his debut for Manchester United.
Now, his fellow Scot and the club's manager was striding towards him. "I thought you did really well last night," Alex Ferguson told Notman that morning. "I really think you can get in front of a few people in that squad, just keep going the way you're going." There had been just under 20 minutes left of a League Cup tie at White Hart Lane when Ferguson beckoned Notman back from his warm-up. "I wasn't sure if he was going to put me on, the next thing he's called me back to get on and then he put me on up front," remembers Notman. "It was me, Solskjaer and Sheringham because at that time I think we were 2-1 or 3-1 down.
I felt I did really well." ALSO READ: United make Branthwaite stance clear amid £80m transfer comparison ALSO READ: United considering targets in two categories during transfer window Ferguson's comments the following morning backed up that view.
Unfortunately, those players he was trying to get in front of were Solskjaer, Sheringham, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. It explains why it never quite happened for Notman, who got close to squads after that but couldn't build on his debut.