Sir Alex Ferguson nurtured some of the finest talent in English football history during his time at Manchester United.

From the likes of David Beckham and Paul Scholes, to Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck. However, for every England international there is an abundance of prospects who never quite make the grade at Old Trafford.

Back in 2001 United had just won the Premier League for the third season in succession, and Ferguson was particularly hopeful for the latest batch of academy stars.

“We’ve got some terrific prospects at Old Trafford,” he told the official club website at the time. “Darren Fletcher, who we hope will get over his broken leg, is good.

“Michael Stewart and Luke Chadwick are doing very well, and John O’Shea’s doing well too.

“There’s a young left back called Paul Tierney who’s doing well, as is Danny Pugh. But there’s a young boy who has started now, he’s 16, called Kieran Richardson.

“He’s going to be a fantastic player.”

With two of those players Champions League winners it is safe to say the prediction was good, but what happened to other hopefuls? M.E.N. Sport takes a look.

Darren Fletcher

It is safe to say Fletcher put that aforementioned injury behind him and became a club great. United wanted to give the young Scot his Premier League debut when he was just 16, but rules wouldn’t allow it at the time.

That didn’t stop him from winning five league titles and the Champions League in his time at the club mind. There was a reason why he was the first youngster to spring to Ferguson’s mind.

Michael Stewart

Stewart had already made his first-team debut by the time Ferguson made his prediction, but failed to reach the same level of fellow Scot Fletcher. The youngster rejected a move to Royal Antwerp and eventually got games in midfield following a suspension to Roy Keane.

However, game time dried up and he eventually left the club in 2005 where he played both Edinburgh clubs Hearts and Hibernian. In 2014, he announced he was running to represent the Scottish National Party in the 2015 UK general election.

Luke Chadwick

Chadwick featured infrequently for United during his five years at the club, with many of his appearances coming in the League Cup. He did earn a Premier League winners medal in 2001, but never established himself as a regular in the first-team.

The midfielder never really settled at one club for a long time but did enjoy a decent chunk of his career playing for MK Dons, before returning to hometown Cambridge United to be a coach.

John O’Shea

The most successful man on this last John O’Shea won 14 trophies during his time at United, and was an invaluable asset to Ferguson thanks to his versatility and professional outlook. He even once played in goal away at Tottenham in the Premier League.

O’Shea’s late winner at Liverpool in 2007 proved to be a key moment as they regained the title that season, and he is remembered fondly for his time at the club. Seven years at Sunderland followed, along with a season at Reading before he retired last year.

Paul Tierney

Salford-born Tierney fulfilled a childhood dream when he signed for United back in July of 1999. He signed professional terms a year later and spent five years at the club, winning the Jimmy Murphy young player of the year award in 2002.

During his spell at Old Trafford the youngster had spells on loan at Crewe, Colchester and Bradford before moving to Livingston in 2005.

A year on from Ferguson’s prediction and Pugh was certainly making moves in the right direction, making his debut in the Champions League win over Maccabi Haifa, going to make five appearances in total that season.

The left winger eventually left to join Leeds as part of the deal which brought Alan Smith to United in 2004, while his best football came at spells with both Preston and Stoke. Pugh is still playing now as a player-coach at Port Vale but has not featured for them in League Two this season.

Kieran Richardson

Ferguson’s quotes hinted his hopes were the highest for Richardson, and the left-sided player certainly made an impression on the professional game. He won three trophies during his time at United but never established himself as a regular in the starting line up.

Occasional glimpses of his talent were shown, including in the 4-1 FA Cup semi-final win against Watford in 2007, but he left for Sunderland at the end of the season. Two years each at Fulham and Aston Villa followed before he last played for Cardiff four years ago.

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