Manchester United
A few days before Whiteside was old enough to sign schoolboy terms with Manchester United, he was offered a trial at Liverpool, causing United's chief scout Joe Brown to fly over to Belfast to immediately offer him the schoolboy contract to sign. [12] Whiteside remained in Belfast, and flew over to Manchester every weekend for training. [13] From the age of 14 he was constantly compared to George Best (by that time in the twilight of his career), and Whiteside did little to discourage such comparisons when he told a journalist that "the only thing I have in common with George Best is that we come from the same place, play for the same club and were discovered by the same man". [14]
His injury problems started as early as 1980, when he was 15 years old and saw Glentoran's physio Bobby McGregor to resolve a groin strain; Whiteside said that the highly physical massage to which he was subjected damaged his pelvis and robbed him of his natural pace. [15] His lack of pace was later seen as the one weakness in his game. [16] Six weeks into his apprenticeship, in July 1981, and an innocuous looking challenge by a Preston North End player in an 'A' team game saw Whiteside requiring an operation on his right knee. [17] Had the injury occurred a couple of years later he would have been able to have pioneering keyhole surgery, which could potentially have saved his career. [18] After a seven-month lay-off and a further operation to remove cartilage, he returned to fitness in January 1982. [19] He had to adapt his playing style to compensate for his damaged knee and pelvis, [20] and developed well under youth team coach Eric Harrison. [21]
Whiteside became United's youngest first-team player since Duncan Edwards in 1953, when he made his debut as a substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion in a 1–0 league win at the Goldstone Ground on 24 April 1982, two weeks before his 17th birthday. [22] [23] He later played in the FA Youth Cup final defeat to Watford, though it would be just another year before he appeared in the final of the senior competition. [24] He turned professional at Old Trafford on his 17th birthday, signing a three-year contract, [25] and he shared a room with Steve Coppell, who was heading into retirement due to a knee injury of his own. [26] He also struck up a close friendship with Paul McGrath, who would also face similar problems with his knee. [27] On the final day of the season, eight days after his 17th birthday, he became the club's youngest goalscorer in a 2–0 home win over Stoke City. [28]
His performances at the World Cup convinced manager Ron Atkinson to start Whiteside alongside Frank Stapleton at the front of United's attack for the 1982–83 season. [29] The pair were similar players in that they held the ball up and made frequent runs into the box, allowing midfielder Bryan Robson to join in the attack. [30] Whiteside scored four goals in the first five games of the campaign, before entering a seventeen-game drought. [31] He scored six goals in 16 games in domestic cup competitions that season, helping Manchester United to the finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup, notably by scoring past Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals. [32] At the age of 17 years and 323 days, he beat Liverpool centre-half Alan Hansen to score in the League Cup final defeat at Wembley, making him the youngest player to score in a League Cup final; his consistent performances against Liverpool during the 1980s earned him the moniker of the "Scourge of the Scousers" from United supporters. [33] He gave an assist to Stapleton in the FA Cup Final, which finished as a 2–2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. [34] At the age of 18 years and 18 days, he then scored a headed goal in the replay, which United won 4–0, to become the youngest player to score in an FA Cup Final. He also became the first player to score in both domestic cup finals in the same season. [35] He played 57 times in all competitions that season and missed just three league games, scoring a total of 14 goals.
Manchester United later accepted a £1.5 million offer for Whiteside from A.C. Milan, and offered him £100,000 in cash to accept the transfer. [36] He refused the move, for he felt he still had a good future with Manchester United and because he was given only a brief time to consider whether or not to relocate to a club and location about which he knew little. [37] He continued to impress, despite on-loan striker Garth Crooks being tipped to take his first-team place and sign a permanent contract (which never happened). [38] United were trophyless however in 1983–84, exiting both domestic cup competitions to Third Division sides. [39] He did though play a part in the 3–0 win over Barcelona at Old Trafford in the Third Round of the European Cup Winners' Cup, which overturned a 2–0 deficit from the first leg. [40] He lost his starting place to Mark Hughes for the semi-final clash with Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, which ended in a 2–1 defeat. [41]
By February 1985, he had started just eight games in the 1984–85 season, having fallen behind in the pecking order to Stapleton, Hughes, and new signing Alan Brazil. [42] However, injury to midfielder Remi Moses left an opening at the centre of the field, and Whiteside proved to be a revelation in the role with his intelligent play and positioning skills, and stayed in midfield for the rest of manager Ron Atkinson's time at the club. [43] He formed a solid partnership with Bryan Robson, despite the two being similarly attacking players, and United lost just one of their first 15 games with this new midfield partnership in operation. [44] Whiteside scored the only hat-trick of his professional career in a 4–2 home win over West Ham United on 9 March 1985, in the FA Cup quarter-finals; it was a 'perfect hat-trick' in that he scored once with each foot and once with his head. [45] He went on to score the winning goal in the 1985 FA Cup Final, curling a shot in from the right hand side in the 20th minute of extra time, to give ten-man United victory over Everton, and Whiteside his second FA Cup winner's medal. [46] The goal required vision, timing, and precise shooting; [48] and The Guardian praised his "cool footballing brain" and "clever concealment of the shot". [49] After this success he negotiated a new contract of £60,000 a year. [50]
United won their first 10 league games of the 1985–86 campaign, and unbeaten from their first 15, and seemed destined to win the First Division title. [51] However they dropped off in mid-season and won just six of their final 18 games to end the season in fourth place, 12 points behind champions Liverpool. [52] The press blamed the decline in form on the club's drinking culture and Ron Atkinson's lax disciplinary attitude, though in his autobiography Whiteside denies that this was to blame, and states that stories of the player's drinking sessions were exaggerated.
That summer, a 21-year-old Whiteside played in his second World Cup. [53]
Then came a decline in his career at an early age, which started to around the time of the arrival of new manager Alex Ferguson in November 1986, the change of manager coming after a dismal start to the season led to the decision to sack Ron Atkinson. Whiteside, still only 21, was facing trouble from his right knee which was now beginning to require serious medical procedures to prevent it from causing his retirement. [54] Ferguson put Whiteside back up front, and in turn he scored three times in his first four games back from injury. [55] Ferguson did though have to rebuke Whiteside after some of his numerous drinking sessions. [4] [56] He ended the 1986–87 season with 10 goals in 37 appearances, however United could only manage an 11th-place finish.
"I felt the excitement that is felt by watching a player of the highest class. He had self-assurance that was extraordinary in a 21-year-old. The excellence of his technique gave him easy mastery of the ball and he had the gift of making time for himself in the stamp of quality. He was an island of composure, looking up and unhurriedly making his decisions. He rarely surrendered possession and he increased the angle and weight of his passes so well that the receiver never had to fight the ball. His eyes were as cold as steel and he had the temperament to match. As a player, he was close to the genius category."
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The media reported that Ferguson did not like Whiteside, but "Fergie" had nothing but praise for the player in his autobiography. [55] [57]
At the start of the 1987–88 season, Whiteside represented the Football League in a game against the 'Rest of the World' to celebrate the league's centenary. [58] He formed a solid partnership with new signing Brian McClair, scoring 10 goals in 35 appearances, though United finished second in the league behind Liverpool, and he often found himself back in midfield or on the bench when Peter Davenport was selected to play alongside McClair. [58] However, he felt that he was due a better contract, and decided to 'call the bluff' of the club by handing in a transfer request. [59] Recovering from injury and abuse from some supporters for his transfer request, he put what many United fans call the best performance of his career at Anfield on 4 April 1988, when he came off a substitute with his team 3–1 down to help United to salvage a point. [60]
He ruptured his Achilles midway through the 1987–88 season, and missed almost a year of first-team action. [61] Whiteside's goal in a 2–1 win over Derby County in a league match at the Baseball Ground on 10 February 1988 would prove to be his last for Manchester United.
In the summer of 1988, he was put on the transfer list and came close to joining American club Portland Timbers, before injury put negotiations on hold. A £1million price tag also deterred a great deal of potential interest. [62]
In the summer of 1988, Ferguson brought striker Mark Hughes back to Old Trafford after two years away, further limiting Whiteside's opportunities for the first team. His continued fitness problems, and the growing competition for places in the first team, meant that Whiteside played just six league games in the 1988–89 season.
In view of Whiteside's medical reports, Ferguson rejected bids of £500,000 from Osasuna of Spain and from Ron Atkinson's new club Sheffield Wednesday, before accepting a bid of £600,000 (with £150,000 to follow if Whiteside reached 50 games) from Everton in July 1989. [63] This was to the dismay of some of the club's supporters, who felt that there was still a way back for Whiteside at Old Trafford. [64] Ferguson intended to build his own team having signed midfield duo Neil Webb and Mike Phelan, and also in the hunt for other players including Paul Ince, Gary Pallister and Danny Wallace. [65]
He had played a total of 274 games in all competitions for United, scoring 67 goals, and collected two winner's medals in the FA Cup, despite only being 24 years old when he left. [66]
