Manchester played host to one of the most eagerly awaited reunions for a generation last year, when local boys Oasis returned after a two-decade hiatus.
But it wasn’t just Noel and Liam who were getting the band back together, as one of the band’s five-night run of Heaton Park shows also turned into a Manchester United reunion.
Among that number of former Red Devils stars was ex-academy star Phil Bardsley, who enjoyed a surreal evening of bucket hats, moshpits and his former skipper cutting loose.
Bardsley on Manchester United’s Oasis reunion
The most eye-catching photos of that night had former Manchester United captain Steve Bruce donning a bucket hat, something which amused Bardsley.
"Brucie probably got more attention than the Gallagher brothers that night!,” he tells FourFourTwo. “At first it was just myself and his son Alex going, but Michael Carrick joined us and Steve was at a loose end, so he got a ticket too.
“Heading to the venue, he got absolutely mobbed. Everyone wanted a picture with him and being the man that he is, Steve agreed to every request.
“At the concert, we bumped into Wes Brown and Darren Fletcher, so it turned into quite a reunion. We got stuck into the mosh pit – we all had a right go, even Steve at his age – and that’s when someone gave him the hat. Suits him, doesn’t it?”
Bardsley came up through the youth system at Manchester United and after making 18 first-team appearances in five years, he moved on, enjoying spells at Sunderland, Stoke City and Burnley before hanging up his boots in 2023 after a short stint with Stockport.
These days, he is more likely to be spotted on his reality TV show The Bardsley Bunch, so does he consider himself to be an ex-footballer or a reality TV star these days?
“[Laughs] Both I suppose, but primarily I’m a businessman now,” he admits. “I run a property company that works with local councils on social housing.
“To be honest, the TV series wasn’t really my thing, but I went along with it because the family wanted to do it. I like to think we all came across well and we had great feedback.
“It was good fun and I don’t have any regrets.”
