IN an afternoon of highs for Manchester United fans, the most emotional moment was Dan James scoring at the Stretford End to make it 4-0. James lost his father in the summer and ran to celebrate where his friends and family were sitting.
“No better feeling,” he tweeted later.
United’s attacking debutants have done well in recent years. Romelu Lukaku scored with a goal in another 4-0 opening day win at Old Trafford two years ago when West Ham were vanquished. The Belgian had also scored on his official debut a few days earlier in a European Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid.
. @RomeluLukaku9 v West Ham
Debut Premier League Goal. #GGMU #MUFC #MANWHU #PLkickOff #Lukaku pic.twitter.com/j5WJ3qaScJ
— PMLEGEND™ Esq. ⚖️ (@PMLEGEND) August 13, 2017
Ruud van Nistelrooy scored on his Premier League debut in yet another opening day home win, a 3-2 win, this time against Fulham in August 2003. The best player, however, was another debutant who started on the bench, an 18-year-old Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Cristiano was outstanding,” his teammate Quinton Fortune told me. “There was no freezing in front of 68,000 people, he loved that big stage.” But Ronaldo didn’t score.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, naturally, scored in his first game for United, a header in the Community Shield against champions Leicester City. He also scored in the opening league game at Bournemouth a week later in August 2016. A year before, Anthony Martial scored on his debut in a 3-1 win against Liverpool at Old Trafford. Four years on, United fans are still hoping Martial will fulfil the promise he showed that day.
He did score on Sunday, playing up front with Marcus Rashford – yet another goalscoring debutant for United. The Mancunian scored twice against Midtjylland in a 5-1 Europa League win in February 2016. Rashford, who got his chance then because of injury, is already approaching five years as a United first-teamer. Those goals were needed since United had lost the first leg in Denmark, but he did well enough to keep his place and scored another two in a 3-2 win against Arsenal a few days later.
Anthony Martial's debut goal for Manchester United vs Liverpool. Still gives me goosebumps pic.twitter.com/MEXEr0oFTN
— ManUtdMindset (@ManUtdMindset) November 16, 2016
No Manchester United player has ever scored two braces in their first two games for the club, though Wayne Rooney, 18, scored a stunning hat-trick on his debut against Fenerbahçe in 2004. United needed a lift after 2004-05 began with defeats to Arsenal and champions Chelsea. Weeks earlier, I’d sat with Roy Keane in Philadelphia for a 90-minute interview/argument. United’s captain was as uncompromising as ever: “We want our championship back because if things don’t go well this year, we could be like Liverpool – 14 or 15 years without winning the championship.”
Four consecutive draws led to murmurs of discontent, with eight goals in the seven opening league games hardly lifting the mood. United reacted, buying Rooney.
There are footballers who remember their United debut as the greatest, most significant moment in their career. It's confirmation that they can compete at the highest level, reward for talent, sustained effort and sacrifice. Others freeze, only to regret their nerves.
Rooney was uncertain to start against Fenerbahçe, the Istanbul side who'd become the first foreign team to win a game at Old Trafford eight years earlier, but Sir Alex Ferguson knew his team needed a jolt. It would come from the teenage Scouser who nonchalantly chewed gum before kick-off.
#OnThisDay in 2004…
Wayne Rooney introduced himself to Old Trafford in style as he bagged a debut hat-trick!
He would go on to grab another 250 goals for Man United, becoming the clubs all time top scorer ⚽ #MUFC #ManUtd pic.twitter.com/e0VOjVFB0j
— JAFA ⚽️ (@jafa) September 28, 2018
Ninety minutes later, Old Trafford’s two scoreboards read United 6 Fenerbahce 2. Rooney had not only scored three but set up another to mark the most impressive debut in the club’s history.
He scored some of the most important goals in United's history, but the boss was another who opened his Man United account with a debut goal. Solskjaer netted six minutes into his Man United career, after coming on as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers on 25 August 1996.
Gordon Strachan, Lou Macari, Wyn Davies, Ian Storey-Moore, Paul Scholes, Danny Wallace, Neil Webb, Denis Law, Alex Buttner, Alex Dawson and Bobby Charlton all scored on their United debuts.
Webb’s volley against Arsenal 30 years ago this week, promised a much brighter future from the classy midfielder. Injuries and poor form meant he only scored 11 goals for United, but he did manage a unique record of scoring on his debut in the First Division, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Paul Scholes’ debut was equally unforgettable. It came at Port Vale in the League Cup in 1994. Prematch, a local MP in the Potteries was outraged: “How dare Manchester United send youngsters to play against Port Vale?” she hollered to the media.
23 years since Paul Scholes made his #MUFC debut…
Naturally, he scored – twice! ⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/0GGNGPyH3h
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 21, 2017
“Why shouldn’t we?” asked Alex Ferguson, not used to having his team selection questioned by a publicity-seeking politician. Four players made their debut: Simon Davies, Chris Casper, John O’Kane and Paul Scholes, with the latter scoring both goals in a highly convincing win. The average age of the United team that night was 22 years, 243 days – and that included the relatively long-in-the-tooth Brian McClair. We doubt the MP found humour in the ‘Choccy is your teacher’ chant from the 2,000 travelling Reds either.
Ferguson often used the League Cup to blood younger players, but 12 years before there was an often forgotten debut in the same competition.
Peter Beardsley was a Manchester United striker when he started against Bournemouth in October 1982. The sublimely skilled Geordie who Liverpool paid a British record fee of £1.9 million for in 1987 was briefly a United player and could have been signed for just £250,000 five years earlier.
Beardsley had joined United on an extended trial from Vancouver Whitecaps in 1982, and despite impressing in training and showing huge potential, he made just one appearance, against Bournemouth – and even then he was substituted at half time. Beardsley’s career later blossomed and he played 59 times for England. He remains the only player to have played first-team football for United, Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City.
Dan James’s name is now added to that illustrious list and hopefully, he goes on to be a star like Beardsley – and stays at Old Trafford.
