I made my Man United Premier League debut with Marcus Rashford - but now I've already retired

Marcus Rashford's Premier League debut is a well-known tale - it occurred just three days after his first-ever senior appearance for the club. However, less known is the story of another academy graduate who also made his debut that day.

While Louis van Gaal gave a second chance to a young Rashford, who had just turned out in a Europa League tie against FC Midtjylland 72 hours earlier, James Weir was dealing with his own nerves. Manchester United were leading Arsenal 3-2, thanks to two goals from Rashford - making it four in less than 150 senior minutes for the club - when Van Gaal looked to his bench.

Despite having other options, Van Gaal chose midfielder Weir. Ander Herrera, on a yellow card and having scored, was replaced by Weir, marking his first and only appearance for the first team.

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His time with the Red Devils didn't last much longer, as he left for Hull just six months later, where he struggled with injuries and saw little playtime.

Despite captaining the Under-21s side at Carrington to a league victory, he never got another shot at top-tier football, missing Hull's entire season before their relegation. Aged just 28, he retired after stints at Wigan and Bolton, as well as overseas with MTK Budapest, FC ViOn, and Pohronie.

Weir still recalls the season he was involved in senior action at United. "I was on the bench for about 10 games," he shared with the Guardian.

"It was a bit of a whirlwind – it feels like a lifetime ago.

"My debut was an out‐of-body experience but they were the best moments of my