Man City vs Man Utd: 5 Incidents Where Citizens Have Inadvertently Aided Their Rivals

5. Ryan Wilson

In Manchester around the early 1980€™s, a young lad named Ryan Wilson was spotted having a kick-about by local milkman and junior football manager, Dennis Schofield, who immediately noticed his potential and so signed him up to his team, Deans Youth Club. With Schofield doubling as a Manchester City scout, naturally, he also recommended young Ryan to the Blues, who proceeded to include him in their youth ranks. A few years later, as the kid€™s 14th birthday approached, Schofield had caught wind of apparent interest from across town and so advised City€™s chief scout, Ken Barnes to ensure that the club did everything they could to confirm the signing of professional terms, once he turns 14. City secured the assurances from Ryan€™s parents that he would continue on with the club and so, confident in their capture, they failed to see the urgency in sending a delegation to the in-demand teen€™s house on the day of his birthday, as suggested by Schofield. Alex Ferguson, however, did arrive at the player€™s house on that day and given how Ryan was a United supporter, he needed little convincing in signing for the Reds. Schofield was devastated and left City shortly afterwards. As for the young lad €“ well, he adopted his mother€™s maiden name of Giggs and went on to become the legend we all know at United, setting the record for most club appearances in the process. How different things could have been had City not dawdled.