Remembering Ince's United achievements
Reading manager Paul Ince returns to Old Trafford on Saturday, the stage where he flourished for six years in Sir Alex Ferguson's first great Manchester United side.
Ince, who will go down in history as the first black player to captain the England national team, represented the Reds between 1989 and 1995, before moving to Serie A with Internazionale.
He also played for rivals Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Wolves, among others, before moving into management upon retiring in 2007.
Here, in an extract from the Manchester United: 30 Years of the Premier League book, we appraise the impact the central midfielder had on our title successes of 1993 and 1994, after the huge part he played in the earlier FA Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and League Cup final victories...
It says everything about Paul Ince’s talent and character that he stood tall in a midfield containing such titans of the position in Roy Keane and Bryan Robson.
Marauding through the middle of the park, turning defence to attack, he had a rare mix of athleticism and aggression that would win him 53 England caps.
An acrimonious exit from West Ham United at the end of the 1980s led to him being a key part of the Alex Ferguson rebuild at Old Trafford. By the start of the Premier League era, he had become a regular in the engine room, missing only one match in 1992/93 and winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in the Reds’ long-awaited title tilt.
The addition of Keane to United’s squad in 1993/94 further enhanced Ince’s game, and his breathless, box-to-box endeavour was an invaluable factor in the Reds’ Double-winning campaign.
Among his eight league goals that term, a last-minute leveller at Upton Park – silencing the home fans who had baited him relentlessly throughout – was perhaps the sweetest, but a bullet late-season header to beat Liverpool was the most important.
Ince unexpectedly wound up plying his trade at Anfield for two seasons, returning to the Premier League two years after his shock departure from Old Trafford to Serie A giants Internazionale, but the move to Merseyside – while a stinger for many supporters – did nothing to diminish his importance to the cause during a key period in the club’s history.
The midfielder’s influence in the Reds’ first two Premier League titles was second-to-none and, but for a last-day disappointment at Upton Park in 1995, when one more goal would have clinched United’s title retention, he would have left Old Trafford as the three-time champion his outstanding contribution warranted.
Keen to learn more about the key figures in United’s Premier League journey? Our special book celebrates 30 years of the Reds in the world’s biggest league.