Why Bruce was such a fabulous servant

The legendary former Reds and England midfielder recalls noting how Bruce would often pick up star ratings for Norwich City in the Sunday newspapers and he mentioned this to the manager.

As things would pan out, not only would the dependable defender end up at Old Trafford but he replaced Robbo as captain and gave nine years of fabulous service.

Generally acknowledged as one of the best English players of his generation not to represent the international side (although he did captain the England B team and Sir Bobby Robson later admitted he had been wrong not to pick his fellow Geordie), Bruce is probably best known to younger fans for his managerial exploits, as he has bossed 11 different teams over the years.

Yet it is as a player that he is best remembered at United, and not merely for the two goals against Sheffield Wednesday, in 1993, that proved pivotal to winning the first Premier League title. 

As Ferguson's third signing after taking over the helm, following Viv Anderson and Brian McClair, this was a transfer that was always going to be crucial in helping reshape the spine of an under-performing team. As was usually the case, negotiations were not straightforward in 1987 and, as Christmas approached, the Canaries raised their asking price to £900,000 and the deal looked on the brink of collapse.

However, Bruce was desperate for the move to happen and said at the time: "I would walk across broken glass from Norwich to Manchester to play for United."

Even when a medical raised some issues with the centre-back's knees, it was reported Ferguson had no problem due to the player's fine appearance record and recognising there was probably a degree of bravery and courage involved on his part to push through any pain, a trait he retained throughout his career.

Initially, even establishing himself in the team would be a challenge, as he admits in the UTD Podcast, with rivals of the calibre of Paul McGrath, although the classy Republic of Ireland international was allowed to join Aston Villa in 1989. However, canny Scot Ferguson had identified that change was needed in this area of the pitch and knew he'd found the right man.

"Centre-backs were the foundation of my Manchester United sides," he wrote in his autobiography 'Managing My Life'. "Always centre-backs. I looked for stability and consistency. Take Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister: until I found those two, we were without a prayer. Paul McGrath was constantly injured; Kevin Moran always had split heads. He was like a punch-drunk boxer by the time I became his manager."

Bruce's commitment to the cause, spirit and undoubted quality meant that, while some did lament the loss of McGrath, particularly when he did so well at Villa, it was obvious we had a real leader on our hands. As things began to improve under Ferguson, the stopper was a vital cog in the team that lifted the FA Cup in 1990, a trophy so important in providing some much-needed breathing space for the boss.

The following season, he grew in stature and importance, scoring an incredible 19 goals across all competitions after surprisingly taking on penalty duties, and helping the team win the European Cup Winners' Cup on a first foray into Europe since the ban was lifted on English clubs in the wake of the Heysel Disaster. Brucey still insists to this day that his header was over the line before Mark Hughes got credited with the decisive touch in the final against Barcelona at Rotterdam!

The trophies kept coming, including the most sought-after prize of all in the title, with his aforementioned headers against Wednesday ensuring he should never have to buy a pint in Manchester ever again. Famously, he shared duties with Robson when it came to lifting the Premier League trophy, with Robbo's incredible influence finally starting to wane to some degree, and he became the first English captain to lead a team to the Double in 1993/94.

Forging a brilliant partnership with Gary Pallister, the pair were the bedrock of our success, ultra-reliable performers who knew each other's games inside and out. While Brucey would memorably sometimes have slanging matches with Peter Schmeichel behind them, they kept the standards consistently high as the Reds chased more and more success.

Unfortunately, 1994/95 saw United agonisingly miss out on both the Premier League and FA Cup in a disastrous, gut-wrenching conclusion to the campaign, but Bruce made 30 league appearances in the following season, when we again landed the Double. However, the centre-back did not appear in the FA Cup final against Liverpool, with goalscorer Eric Cantona now wearing the armband, and he would leave the club in the summer.

Bruce was an immense figure for the Reds at a time when we needed strong characters, who would not shrink under what was becoming unbearable pressure. For Ferguson, he was a player who "enforced the will of the manager and the club" like other skippers before and after him.

Anybody who has watched his 'Captain's Log' video diary of the 1992/93 season (check it out on YouTube) would see the sort of person he is. On a personal level, the first time I spoke to him, he was in a shop in Italy while on a pre-season tour with Sheffield United in 1998. He asked me how United had got on in our friendly and we ended up having a conversation about Phil Mulryne.

Steve was so pleasant to talk to and yet I had to wait an age to chat with him again, afforded the opportunity recently when he came to Old Trafford in order to mark the 30th anniversary of that first Premier League title win (and those Sheffield Wednesday goals). He hadn't changed at all; just as personable, friendly and engaging - everything, in fact, you'd want from a United legend and captain.

His contribution to the cause will never be overlooked - he'd always play through the pain barrier and give 100 per cent. Little wonder Sir Alex knew he could build a team around such a dependable professional.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.