What is the Class of 92? Former Manchester United stars behind Salford rise to League Two
The League Two side are in superb form under Karl Robinson, winning their last six matches without conceding a goal, and they will now be eyeing a major upset to continue what is already their best ever run in this competition.
City have steadied the ship somewhat with back-to-back wins, but they managed just one victory in 13 matches before that.
Salford will therefore believe they can cause Pep Guardiola’s side problems, on what is one of the biggest days in the club’s history.
With pitches in Manchester frozen this week, Salford have been training in the indoor facilities at Manchester United’s old Cliff training ground.
How are the Class of 92 involved with Salford?
The Class of 92 refers to the players who came through the Manchester United academy in the early 1990s before establishing themselves in the first-team under Sir Alex Ferguson.
David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes are the players most commonly spoken of as being in the Class of 92.
The Neville brothers along with Giggs, Scholes and Butt and Singapore businessman Peter Lim completed a takeover at Salford in 2014, before Beckham joined five years later by taking a 10% stake at the club.
The Class of 92 own 60% of the club between them, with Lim holding the other 40%.
Under the ownership, Salford achieved four promotions in five seasons to rise from the eighth tier to the English Football League, and have been in League Two since 2019.
Giggs is director of football at Salford and has been in the dugout alongside manager Robinson for matches this season. Scholes, who was appointed caretaker manager after Graham Alexander’s departure in 2020, is the head of recruitment.
Speaking about the Class of 92’s influence at the club, Robinson recently said: “It’s funny when you’re speaking to players, at half-time you’re trying to say to one of your wide players, maybe if you do this.
“Then you look across the room and see Ryan and think ‘you might be better to explain this one than me’.
“Then you’re speaking to players at the training ground, about trying to find passes through lines and you’ve got Paul (Scholes) sat there.”
Source link
.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp&quality=75 "When is The Masters 2024? Dates, field, preview, prize money, how to watch, latest odds and Champions Dinner")
