When Phil Bardsley came up through the Manchester United ranks in the early 2000s, his academy cohort had the perfect set of role models to follow, as the iconic ‘Class of 92’ had been living the dream and conquering English football in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
But this would also prove to be a double-edged sword, as to establish themselves in the Red Devils starting XI, it would mean finding a way past perhaps the most famous batch of homegrown players in the modern era.
Bardsley made his Manchester United debut in a December 2003 League Cup clash, but would only go on to make 18 appearances for the club amid a series of loan spells before he left Old Trafford for good in 2008.
Bardsley on his Man United regrets and playing under Roy Keane
“Even now, there’s still a bit of me that wished I could have played more games for United, but a certain Gary Neville was blocking my path,” Bardsley tells FourFourTwo. “And on the few occasions he was unavailable, Sir Alex Ferguson could call upon his brother Phil or Wes Brown.
“I had a few loan moves at Royal Antwerp, Burnley, Rangers, Aston Villa and Sheffield United, but it was only after I joined Sunderland that I could put United behind me and start standing on my own two feet.”
That move to Sunderland came in 2008, when he was signed by his former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane, who had guided the Black Cats into the Premier League two years earlier.
“It was weird actually,” Bardsley recalls to FourFourTwo when asked about the move. “I’d sat down with Sir Alex, who knew that I needed to be playing more regularly and actively helped me find a new club.
“Quite a few were sniffing but I’d set my heart on linking up with Roy on Wearside, even though he wasn’t in a position to sign me immediately. I spent the first half of the season on loan at Sheffield United knowing that in the New Year, I’d be off to Sunderland. Even today, I’m asked what it was like to have Roy as my manager.
“The truth is we had a very good relationship – still have. I think he likes me as a person and the feeling is mutual. From a young age at United, he was always on my case – very firm but fair. He always wanted me to do well and I’d like to think I justified his faith in me.
“I really felt Sunderland were going places with him in charge, but things can change so quickly in football and when results dipped, Roy was off.”
Bardsley soon found himself working under another former Red Devils when Steve Bruce took over at the Stadium of Light.
“And later, at Stoke, Mark Hughes was my gaffer too,” Bardlsey continues. “It’s funny how things work out. I didn’t get off to the best of starts with Brucie as I was having a bit of a contract issue with the chairman, Niall Quinn, and had a bit of a sulk.
“But I soon got my arse back into gear, managed to win over Steve and we ended up having a great season. We finished 10th and that should have been the start of something special, but once again we couldn’t keep it up.”
