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.
