Sir Alex Ferguson has made his debut with countless graduates from Manchester United’s famed production line, many of whom have gone on to have surnames.
That isn’t always the case however, with plenty having to leave Old Trafford to forge their name elsewhere. That was the case for Lee Roche, who turned out for United against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League in 2003.
The Red Devils were assured of qualification in Europe, but Roche’s outing would be his one and only on the European stage and his time in Manchester would soon come to an end, beginning a spiral that eventually led to his retirement at the age of 27.
Now he plies his trade on a building site and is in no rush to talk about his career. Roche came through United’s academy, enjoying a loan spell at Wrexham in the early 2000s before going on to make five appearances under Ferguson – one of which came as a starter against Arsenal in the League Cup.
Roche moved to Burnley in 2003, joined Wrexham two years later and then found himself signing for Droylsden out of the league in 2007, where he would spend the remaining four years of his career.
Now 42, he admits he didn’t expect his career to end the way it did, especially considering the track record of academy players coming through the Red Devils’ system.
He told LFETV: “Of course not. Especially when you sign for a club as big as Manchester United. We think we’re going to play football until we’re 35. As it turned out, I had to work, I’ve been running. “I’ve been here for almost 3 years and it’s a bit different to football, but you have to keep going.
One of Roche’s other appearances in the famous red blouse was against Newcastle, meaning the defender had to battle Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer. The mythical character got the better of him, and Ferguson was quick to give him some advice.
He told Planet Football : “I did okay, but I remember Sir Alex talking to me afterwards because Alan Shearer had beaten me at the far post to win a header, so he told me to get up first and not let the forwards do that to me.
“I remember being in an airport after that and someone asked me for an autograph thinking I was Nicky Butt, so I signed it!”
The PFA subsidised Roche after he left the football world and is now a qualified plumber and owns his own hollow wall insulation business. The former footballer also wants players to have alternative plans that allow them to locate teams outside of football. Their careers sometimes end unexpectedly.
He said: “Some colleagues at the shipyards asked me about United and how I got here. It can be boring, so I don’t shout out the fact that I played for United. I think today’s young players deserve to be named working out as something, so they get to know the genuine world.
“Most of them probably don’t have a plan to fall back on if they don’t make it as a professional.”
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