Lenny Taylor: the forgotten man of Manchester United’s Class of 92

Lenny Taylor made only a single fleeting appearance for Manchester United’s vaunted 1992 FA Youth Cup victors and never played professionally but he remains enchanted by his experience at the club.

Taylor was released by Alex Ferguson days after David Beckham, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs led Eric Harrison’s starlets to the 6-3 aggregate triumph over Crystal Palace that was the launchpad for their stellar careers. Yet 30 years later, and with close to 60,000 tickets sold for Wednesday’s final of the 2022 edition at Old Trafford between United and Nottingham Forest, Taylor exudes pride at a journey that began at a trial as a Birmingham schoolboy.

“I was chosen for a mass game in Nuneaton,” he says. “I was a right-back and we all played a half each and Ferguson was there. We had a little conversation afterwards – it was around Valentine’s Day so we cracked a few jokes about that. I signed YTS forms, went and watched a United game and it did wow me – I met some of the players and started to think: ‘Hang on. This is completely different.’”

Taylor took digs near United’s old training ground. “Around the corner from The Cliff, just off Lower Broughton Road,” he says. “Robbie Savage stayed there, and there was also Colin Telford, Giuliano Maiorana, Andy Rammell, Roger Sallis, Colin McKee.”

Ferguson’s renowned network of informants stretched to Taylor’s landlady, who one night caught him using a novel way to gain entry. “Up a drainpipe,” he says. “No one was answering the door. It was late and everyone was sound asleep and I thought: ‘You know what? The lads are in bed so they’ll hear me if I’m tapping the window.’ They did and let me in. By that time, the landlady had caught me and I was reported. Eric Harrison