Keith Gillespie was part of the the famous Manchester United squad that won the FA Youth Cup back in 1992.
Having gone on to make 14 appearances for the Red Devils at senior level, he transferred to Newcastle United as part of the deal that took Andy Cole to Old Trafford in early 1995.
Sports Mole caught up with the now-retired former Northern Ireland international to discuss his time with United, as well gaining his thoughts on David Moyes, Wayne Rooney and young starlet Adnan Januzaj.
Your departure from United to Newcastle in 1995 was a quick one and also involved Andy Cole moving in the opposite direction. Given the success that United went on to have, do you regret the move?
"Not at all. There was no pressure put on me to leave, I could have turned the deal down but if I'd done that, Andy Cole would not have signed for United. Kevin Keegan insisted that I was part of the deal and if I wasn't, the deal would have been off.
"It's great that the players that I came through with played so many times for Man United. I have no regrets about leaving, though. I was a 19-year-old that flitted in and out of the team and I wanted to play regular football – Newcastle provided me with that."
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You came through with the class of 1992, which included the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. Was there ever any doubt that those players would go on to make the grade at United?
"You could see from the start how good they were and they've proved it over the years. Those three in particular were top class. They are great role models and they worked hard at their game. They've been very successful and fair play to them for that."
Do you still keep in contact with any of those that you came through the ranks with?
"I've been in contact with Gary Neville a few times. I had a young friend who was suffering from cancer and he's a big Man United fan. I tweeted Gary privately to see if he could send him a message and he done that – that's the sort of guy that he is."
There is a film out soon titled The Class of 92, which focuses on some of the those players. Will you watch it, and seeing them receive such high praise and attention, is there any part of you that wishes you'd stayed put, despite enjoying your time at Newcastle?
"I will go to watch it. I feel privileged that I was part of that great youth team. It's a team that everybody remembers.
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"It's all hindsight. I went on and enjoyed my time at all the other clubs that I played for. I played under a lot of great managers and learnt a lot. Those boys played most of their careers at United which is an amazing thing to do. I moved on and that is just the way that it is. Some people stay put for their whole careers and others move about – I was one of those."
What about the current setup at United? How have you rated their start under the management of David Moyes?
"There was a bit of doom and gloom a few weeks ago, but for me he needs time. You can't just come in and replace someone like Sir Alex Ferguson and expect immediate success. It's a difficult role and massive shoes to fill. In the last few weeks there have been signs that they are hitting good form and if you've got players like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, if they play well, United have always got a chance of winning any match."
You mention Rooney there - although he produces the goods on the pitch, how much praise does Moyes deserve for his performances? After all, it looked as though he was heading for the exit door a couple of months ago.
"Moyes's handling of the situation was top class. He obviously knows Wayne from their previous time at Everton. He's got Wayne Rooney playing the way that he should be playing and he deserves a lot of praise for that."
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What do you make of Adnan Januzaj? He's a winger just like you were. Does he have the potential to become one of the United greats?
"A few weeks ago when they were struggling at Sunderland, he scored the two goals and it was good to see that United had that type of positivity. He's a talent, but he's still very young and has a lot to learn. With the players that he has got around him to guide him, he could become a world beater.
"He looks very confident and having got into the team, you'd think that he had been there for years. That's a very impressive thing to have done and he looks as though he has a lot of self-belief, as well as an eye for goal. If somebody like Ryan Giggs gives you advice, you're going to listen and I'm sure that he can help him to fulfil his potential."
You can purchase a copy of Gillespie's autobiography - 'How Not To Be A Football Millionaire' - by copying and pasting this link into your search bar: http://www.mirrorcollection.co.uk/products/details/search_results/keith_gillespie/
Liam Apicella
