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| The first name on the teamsheet, Denis Irwin is Manchester United's Mr Dependable. Signed from Oldham in June 1990 for a paltry �625,000, Irwin has made the number three shirt his own with a series of understated performances.
A failure at Leeds in the early eighties, Irwin has developed into one of the most respected full backs in the Premiership and can operate on either side of the defence. He made the first team at Leeds, but after three years, Billy Bremner gave him a free transfer to Chesterfield before Joe Royle brought him to Oldham. Cork-born Irwin caught Alex Ferguson's eye during the 1990 FA Cup semi-finals when Oldham took United to a replay. A keen golfer and self-confessed Oldham fan ever today, Irwin racked up over 200 appearances in his five years at Old Trafford and has become a fixture in the Republic of Ireland squad, playing in the World Cup finals in America. Like a number of other Premiership full backs Irwin is also the master of the dead ball, a free kick specialist, nurtured and coached by Alex Ferguson, into one of the most feared in the Premiership. In recent years United have had a plehtora of free kick experts - Cantona, Giggs or Kanchelskis were capable of scoring from 25 yards or less but frequently United skippers have turned to Irwin when searching for salvation. His opener in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace and another against Liverpool in a classic 3-3 draw stand out. Four goals made him United's leading FA Cup scorer in 1994-95 as they made it to Wembley. United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel is an admirer of Irwin's technique, he says: "Andrei Kanchelskis had the hardest shot at United and Paul Ince really improved but Denis is the best striker of a dead-ball because he can spin the ball. He can bend it better than Ryan Giggs." Howard Wilkinson's enquiry about taking Irwin back to Elland Road led to Eric Cantona's transfer in 1992 and United fans were to relieved to hear that Irwin signed a three year contract in April 1995 as other stars were leaving the club. Manager Alex Ferguson says: "Denis is the one player I just would not sell. We have some great players at the club but if someone had to vote for pure consistency in every game of a season then Denis would be our player of the year." |
