Ex Manchester United player turna to shop owner

January 24, 2009, is a date former Manchester United right-back Richard Eckersley will never forget.

Having joined United as a nine-year-old, he achieved his lifelong dream of making his first-team debut, stepping off the bench at Old Trafford. United were facing Tottenham Hotspur in an FA Cup fourth round tie and were 2-1 up when Sir Alex Ferguson ordered the Salford-born defender to get ready.

“When you get into that space, are training and mingling with these players, and seeing their dedication and their passion, then you get the first-hand experience of what it takes to be a footballer at that level for that many years. It was really inspiring and, for the most part, all the things that I learnt there I have taken into my life now.”

Eckersley, now 35, only made four senior appearances during his United career but does have a League Cup winners medal to show for his time at Old Trafford. Despite not playing a single minute of the Reds’ run to the 2009 final, he made the substitutes bench at Wembley, having caught Ferguson’s eye with a strong performance in a reserve fixture against Manchester City a few days earlier.

He now have businesses running as a show owner instead of playing football and has said he no longer enjoy the game anymore.