I was an hour late for my first day at Man United - and a furious Roy Keane was waiting for me

Given that Peter Schmeichel made over 350 appearances for Manchester United - winning a total of 16 trophies, including five top-flight titles - it was always going to be difficult to replace the dominant shot-stopper. The Dane, who even scored for the Reds during his time at Old Trafford, is widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history - which is probably why United's first attempt to replace him didn't quite go to plan.

Known for his intimidating physique, which included specially made size XXXL shirts, Schmeichel was feared by strikers throughout his career. He won a host of individual accolades and ended his United career on the highest note - with the club winning the Treble in his final campaign.

It was far from plain sailing, though, with the goalkeeper being 'sacked' by Sir Alex Ferguson following a row in January 1994. However, after making an improvised apology to the other first-team players - which Ferguson had heard - he was allowed to remain at Old Trafford. The rest, of course, is history.

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When Schmeichel did depart, United had the difficult task of replacing him. The Reds went through several high-profile goalkeepers, including Massimo Taibi, Fabien Barthez, Tim Howard, Roy Carroll and Mark Bosnich - the latter being the club's first attempt at filling the void left by the big Dane.

Bosnich had actually played three times for United earlier in his career but had to leave Old Trafford as he was unable to secure a work permit. When the Australian returned at the end of the 1990s - on a free transfer from Aston Villa - he was expected to do the impossible