John Fitzpatrick: Man Utd’s first-ever substitute in a league match

John Fitzpatrick won the FA Youth Cup and made well over 100 appearances for Manchester United, but there’s another completely separate reason the wing-back forever belongs in the history books.

Sir Matt Busby built his teams with Manchester United’s best academy players. The nickname “Busby Babes” originated in the newspapers in the early 1950s , and it stuck as Busby, along with his assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, continued to show faith in young players for over a decade.

This shaped United as a club, and developing young players has proven to be a beneficial tradition. John Fitzpatrick is one of the many examples, even if his name isn’t recognised, as are some of the players he came through the youth ranks with, such as George Best , David Sadler, and John Aston.