Canaries to Carrington

When Steve left to join United, could you ever have imagined you’d be following soon after?
No, my aim was to just do well for Norwich. I was comfortable there. I liked the club, the football we played, the fans, the area and the general way of life. Moving on wasn’t something I really thought about until United came in for me.

When did you hear about United’s interest?
I knew my contract with Norwich was coming to an end but the club were just happy to let it run its course – there were no ‘Bosmans’ in those days – and then we’d sit down at the end of the season to talk through a new one. I heard a couple of whispers about United and a few other teams who showed an interest in me and it soon became obvious that Norwich were willing to let me go. I talked to a couple of other clubs, but when I met the manager here I just had a good feeling about the place and it felt like an opportunity I had to take.

What do you remember about your debut season in 1989/90, which ended with the manager’s first trophy. Did it feel like the start of something big?
I admit I never really understood what United were all about until I came here. It’s like nowhere else. You’re in this pressure cooker that you don’t realise is there until you start playing for the club. You’re scrutinised week in, week out but you have to learn to deal with it and you have to perform. There’s no question it was a hard year – when you first join a club people judge you every day and you’ve got to win. We started off like a house on fire in the first game against Arsenal and then dipped after that. We managed to turn things around by winning the FA Cup and that was definitely a big moment. When you win something here, you win it well, and you want to do it again and again because it’s such a great feeling.