Ben Thornley, the star of Manchester United's famous Class of 92 who was once branded the new George Best, has opened up on the cruel twist of fate that ended his chances of emulating the stellar careers of David Beckham and Paul Scholes.
Bury-born Thornley, a winger, was regarded even above Beckham and Scholes as the stand-out player in United's academy side and tipped for a top class career at Old Trafford.
That was until a horror challenge by Blackburn defender Nicky Marker in a reserve match in April 1994 inflicted such damage to Thornley's knee it wrecked the trajectory of his entire career.
Alex Ferguson was considering selecting 18-year-old Thornley in the United squad for the FA Cup semi-final against Oldham Athletic a few days later.
Though Thornley, after a year of recovery, was able to partially resurrect his career, playing 13 times for United, his ultimate destiny was to play in the Football League and non-league instead of the Premier League and Champions League.
A new autobiography of Thornley's career called Tackled: The Class of 92 Star Who Never Got To Graduate details how United legend Nobby Stiles said of him: 'Ben is the closest I've seen to George Best in all my time at the club.'
Sir Matt Busby, Best's manager at Old Trafford, was sitting nearby when Stiles made the statement and didn't argue otherwise.
Speaking to The Guardian, Thornley reflects: 'Crazy, absolutely crazy. There are very few footballers that have ever lived that would measure up to George Best and so to be compared to him, at whatever level, by somebody who has been a World Cup winner - well, you can't ask for more than that.'
The more renowned graduates of the Class of 92 certainly back up Stiles' bold assertion. In the book, David Beckham says: 'Ben would have outdone us all - that's the sad part.'
Scholes says Thornley was 'a step above all of us, he could do everything.' Gary Nevile says he was 'one of the most outstanding talents I ever played with.'
Thornley suffered a ruptured medical collateral ligament and medial capsule, ruptured cruciate ligaments and a detachment of the medial meniscus in Marker's awful tackle.
Ferguson encouraged him to seek damages from Marker and Blackburn for loss of earnings and he secured a pay-out five years later.
But five minutes before that moment, United coach Jim Ryan, with one eye on the possible Cup semi-final appearance, asked Thornley if he wanted to come off.
'It's probably the worst decision that I've ever made in my life and something that completely changed my life,' he told The Guardian.
As Beckham, Scholes and the Neville brothers won the Treble and Premier League title after Premier League title, Thornley was playing in the Football League and also briefly north of the border with Aberdeen.
Off the field, his life was unravelling as he hit the bottle and he hit rock bottom after nine months of benders following separation from his wife Claire in 2006.
'I took it to extremes in my second season at Aberdeen,' Thornley said. 'I lost discipline and that disappoints me. There were times when I got so frustrated.'
On his later breakdown, he adds: 'I went from one pub to another, from one woman to another, from one stag do to another - not sleeping, not eating, just drinking and drinking.
'Somebody said: 'Listen, if you are not careful you are going to kill yourself.' All of a sudden, after eight or nine months, I just stopped. I said: 'I can't continue like this."
Thornley did manage to turn his life around, mainly thanks to his girlfriend of 10 years, Lesley, and work for United's TV channel MUTV and as an ambassador at Old Trafford.
But he admits: 'Only really in the last four or five years have I come out of that cocoon, if you like.'
Brown83
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Don't forget us at Chelsea...come back.
balcony
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I'm sure he'll do it Frank ! and you are playing a part on it,doing what you doing with him at Derby . I must congrate you for that too . Going like this,I'm pretty sure your life at Chelsea as manager, will come
Eugener
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I remember reading about him at the time but I never saw him in the flesh. If Sir Matt said so you got to believe it, I was lucky enough to see George play for a few seasons at OT in the early 1970s, Some great players have come & gone but it would be very hard to find another George Best, what a pity!!
Ericssonio
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You've highlighted a good point. Ravel Morrison received rave reviews when he broke in to West Ham's first team and scored that goal against Spurs. His career has nose dived. Same as Berahino. Some players just don't cut the mustard for one reason or another or maybe lose the determination and dedication required to make it at the highest level
languid
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People always come up with nonsense like "he would have been the next George Best." There have been many promising ex United youth players who have ended up way down the football pyramid. It's like for example saying if Luke Chadwick had his career ended as a youngster he would have been the closest thing to Messi. Absolute rot.
Rosemake
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What a story,reminds me off Alick Jeffrey who Sir Matt wanted to sign around 1957-58,but he broke his leg,and never really got going again,my dad said he was a top class player.
sonmluts
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Look all credit to him, and glad he's on the mend. But I think a few people are being kind there. Giggs was the star of the show, and he was "the new George Best", in fact he was better in the end.
Jayhayes
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I watched Ben as a youth player in local football, he was a superb footballer and destined for the top with the rest of class of 92. His demise pro football was an horrific injury not the drink, I see he has overcome that problem now. Good luck Ben I am glad you are on the right track.
Realplayere
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I remember this young lad now he's mentioned in this article , it's easy to forget the incredible talent that's been at Utd's past.
Alaindelon
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He was a good winger with decent pace and would of probably replaced Lee Sharpe the year he left, also the same could be said for Terry Cooke as well who got a bad knee injury
Derobect
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Let's not forget that Robbie Savage was also part of that group of players. Not all decent youngsters end up being top players.
Postmanin
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It must have been hard to take for Ben Thornley having his Utd career taken away from him by such a bad tackle and over the years watching the progress of Butt,Scholes,the Neville brothers and in particular David Beckham reaching the heights in Ferguson's all conquering Utd teams at home and in Europe. Small wonder that he turned to alcohol to try and cope with his failing career in football in the lower regions.
freefell
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I was at that reserve match and remember it well. Sad waste of a great talent.
pompousz
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I bet at the time, that somebody described the defender who wrecked his knee that he 'wasn't that type of player'. They always says this.
Christiansmo
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so he was the closest thing to george best on the pitch, had his career ended... and then became the actual next george best!!!
educatione
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If only he'd had the benefit of medical science today.
portrait
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Footy can be very cruel sometimes
Robberyone
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When young players are labelled with the tag of being the new great player its like a curse and few if any reach the pinnacle of the game.I notice Scholes didn't have the label but he went on to become one of United's best ever midfielders.
princesss
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It's incredibly hard to make it as a footballer, so few do - and even when you've climbed almost every hurdle and first team football is a step away, an injury can take it all away from you in an instant (Ben Thornley, Adrian Doherty and Giuliano Maiorana are three examples from Manchester United alone).
combination
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Man Utd Class of 92 member Thornley opens up on his injury hell
introduce
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He played for us here at Huddersfield for a season and he was 10 classes above anyone else, even after his injury, we still talk about him now.....great player!
radcdlno
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That academy was surely lit...
Ogundele Festus Ayo
1
This is awesome...