David Beckham reflects on his time coming through Manchester United's youth ranks as the "best time" of his career as the club marked the 25th anniversary of the "Class of '92" signing on as trainees.
Beckham won a Treble with United and enjoyed spells at Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain as well as 115 appearances for England but it is his rise to United's first team alongside Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt that he looks upon most fondly.
"I have always said that those 10 years of playing with the likes of Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Keith Gillespie, Robert Savage and all these great players that I grew up with, it was the best time of my career," he told Manchester United's official website. "I remember everything.
"It is like it was yesterday. From being in lodgings in Salford to playing in the European Cup final with some of the players that played in that 1992 Youth Cup final, it was a special time and one that I will never forget."
David Beckham recalls his early days at #mufc, 25 years on from signing trainee forms: https://t.co/ULIg4lD5oP https://t.co/fKujNXhKZC
- Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 8, 2016
Beckham believes Eric Harrison's coaching methods were a big factor in the success of him and his former teammates.
"He would never let us believe in the success that we were having as a youth team and the success we were having in the reserve team with Jim Ryan," Beckham added.
"We never probably had the chance to sit back and think, 'wow we are actually doing really well here'. We weren't allowed to think that. That is one of the reasons why were successful. Every one of us was down to earth and every one of us kept our feet on the ground.
"At that point in time, if you weren't that sort of player then you weren't kept on. That is one of the reasons why were successful like we were."
But the former England captain isn't sure another batch of players will ever go on to replicate the success enjoyed by Neville, Scholes, Butt and even the likes of Gillespie and Savage who later left United.
Beckham said: "I'm a proud Englishman and I'd love to see English players come through at big clubs. But, will it ever happen again like it did in 1992 with us? I don't know. Times have changed.
"The romantic side of me and English side of me hopes that does happen again because to have the amount of players that we had come through from a youth team into the reserve team into the first team and play for England as well, it was a special time."