Billy Kenny recalls Manchester United trial alongside Giggs and Beckham
Billy Kenny, a former Everton midfielder known as "Goodison Gazza," has recalled in his autobiography how Manchester United attempted to recruit him as a young player. In this extract, he describes his memorable trial at the club's Cliff training ground in the late 1980s, where manager Alex Ferguson made him feel specially valued, just as Liverpool had done during his schoolboy career.
During the recruitment day, Kenny was introduced to Manchester United's first-team squad and competed in trial matches positioned as a centre midfielder. He encountered future Manchester United star Ryan Giggs (then known as Ryan Wilson), against whom he had previously competed in schoolboy football, and befriended Scottish schoolboy international Tommy Harrison, whilst training alongside young players from Brazil, Argentina and Ghana.
- Kenny recalls his Manchester United trial as a young schoolboy player.
- Manager Alex Ferguson personally made him feel special.
- He trained alongside and competed with young Ryan Giggs.
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Billy Kenny is a former Everton midfielder who earned the nickname "Goodison Gazza" during his playing career in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As a young player, he was trialled by Manchester United at the club's Cliff training ground under Sir Alex Ferguson.
During his trial in the late 1980s, Kenny competed in matches as a centre midfielder against other prospects, including a young Ryan Giggs, then known as Ryan Wilson, with whom he had previously faced in schoolboy competition. He also trained alongside young international players from Brazil, Argentina, Ghana and other countries.
This period reveals how Manchester United conducted youth recruitment under Ferguson, drawing talent from across the globe. It documents part of the early pathway that young prospects like Giggs took through the club's system.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Thrown in with Giggs and Beckham: how Manchester United tried to get Billy Kenny”.