Why are we asking you to sign in? Find out more here
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .
Why are we asking you to sign in? Find out more here
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .
It may be 20 years old today but Alan Hansen probably still regrets saying this
ON 19 AUGUST 1995, Aston Villa handed a youthful Manchester United side an opening day 3-1 defeat in the Premier League.
Having sold Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes, Alex Ferguson named youngsters Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes in his starting line-up, while David Beckham was a half-time substitute.
But United, wearing their infamous grey kit, were second best on the day and Villa scored through Ian Taylor, Mark Draper and Dwight Yorke, before Beckham smashed home a consolation.
On Match of the Day that evening, Alan Hansen stated:
“You look at that line-up of Manchester United today and Aston Villa at 2.15pm when they looked at the teamsheet, it’s just going to give them a lift. And it will happen everytime he plays the kids.
“The trick to winning the championship is having strength and depth. They just haven’t got it.”
Nine months later, those same kids had helped the club wrap up a Premier League and FA Cup double.
Aston Villa defender makes Rose of Tralee cameo but nobody has a clue who he is
Irish international Darron Gibson charged with drink-driving
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
20 years Alan Hansen Anniversary CLASSIC MOTD MOTD PREDICTION Premier League