The world was a very different place on October 30, 1937. But that is a date etched into football history because it marked the very first game in a run that continues to this day, whereby Manchester United have named a home-grown player in single matchday squad since.
The last time United didn’t include one of their own was a week earlier than that, a long forgotten 1–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Old Trafford, less than two years before the world descended into global conflict for the second time within the space of three decades.
Starting with an otherwise unremarkable 1–0 defeat at Fulham’s Craven Cottage at the end of that October, United have now selected at least one home-grown player for more than 4,000 consecutive matches, spanning, as of October 30, 2025, an astonishing 88 years.
No other team can hold a candle to that kind of record, which is testament to the club’s dedication to discovering and developing young talent—many of whom went on to great things.
