Manchester United face Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup today, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
Micky Mellon’s side will be looking to shock Louis van Gaal’s side at the New Meadow while United will be looking to bounce back from a shocking defeat against Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.
Despite this encounter being the first time that the two sides have faced each other competitively, there are a number of connections between United and Shrewsbury:
Ian Black
The Scottish midfielder is a lifelong United fan and the 30-year-old and his family hold season tickets at Old Trafford. As a teenager, he also had trials with United before embarking on a career that has seen him play for Inverness, Hearts, Rangers and now Shrewsbury.
Richie Wellens
The 35-year-old started his career at United, making a solitary appearance in a 3-0 League Cup defeat to Aston Villa in October 1999. A midfielder by trade, he is a recent arrival for the Salop, having joined on a free transfer in January.
Jack Grimmer
The 22-year-old’s late goal dumped out Sheffield Wednesday in the last round, and the on-loan Fulham defender is a boyhood United fan.
Larnell Cole
The midfielder, who is also on loan from Fulham, started his career at United, only making one appearance for the first team in a 3-0 victory against Leeds United in the League Cup in September 2011.
Harry Gregg
The ‘Hero of Munich’ with undoubtedly linked with events during that fateful day in Germany, but the former United goalkeeper would go on to manage Shrewsbury between 1968 and 1972.
David Moyes
The Scotsman played for the Salop between 1987 and 1990, before later taking up the United job for an ill-fated 10-month spell at Old Trafford.
Sir Bobby Charlton
Bit of a tenuous link this one. The United legend carried out his national service in Shrewsbury and even turned out for the Salop in a friendly after his retirement (a friendly game against the Zambian national team in 1978).