A thread for #BlackHistoryMonth   celebrating black footballers who have played for Manchester United. First up...

Dennis Walker. Born in Hackney, Walker made his Man United debut against Nottingham Forest on 20 May 1963 & became Utd’s first ever black player.

Remi Moses. Man Utd 1981-1988. Former hard man who Sir Alex planned to build his team around had it not been for an injury prone career. He still has close links to the club & occasionally coaches Old Trafford FC as part of the ‘unity in the community’ scheme.

Paul McGrath. Considered to be the the greatest Irish player of all time. He played for Utd in 1982-1989. He had a tough upbringing in an orphanage, he grew up to become a hero of Ireland, when Mandela visited Ireland he was serenaded with chants of “Ooh aah Paul McGrath’s Da"

Viv Anderson. Anderson made history when he became the first black man to represent the England national team. he was Alex Ferguson’s first signing at Old Trafford, & turned out for the club between 1987 & 1991. He was awarded an MBE in January 2000 for his services to football.

Laurie Cunningham. Played for Utd 1982-1983. A left winger, he didn’t spend much time at Manchester United but he did make history in becoming the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid.

Garth Crooks. Man Utd 1983-1984. Throughout his career he was an active member of the Professional Footballers' Association and was elected the first black chairman of the union. Crooksy was awarded an OBE in Queen's Birthday Honours list in 1999 for services to football.

Paul Ince. Man Utd 1989-1995. Ince, who called himself the guv'nor during an illustrious career. Became the first black English manager of a Premier League football club 15 years after he became the first black player to captain England.

Danny Wallace. Man Utd 1989-1994. In 1997 at just 31 years-old Danny was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In 2006 he walked the London Marathon. It took him six days. “It was even better than winning the FA Cup,” he declared. Danny won the FA Cup in 1990 with Manchester United.

Paul Parker. Man Utd 1991-1996. At 5ft 7in he was one of the smallest players in England’s top flight. In 1989 he was racially abused by England fans but he silenced the hate with his talent. Sir Alex Ferguson said “Parker was without doubt one of the best signings i made.”

Andy Cole. Man Utd 1994-2002. Cole scored 187 goals in the Premier League and is one of the few players in England to have won all possible honours in the English game. In 2000, Cole set up the "Andy Cole Children's Foundation", which helps AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe.

Wes Brown. Man Utd 1998-2011. From one of Manchester's roughest districts to the toughest character at Old Trafford. Wes was United academy product, Who went on to win 11 major honours with the club, including five Premier League titles and two Champions League titles.

Dwight Yorke. Man Utd 1998-2002. In his first season with the club (1998–1999) he was an integral part of the club winning the Premier League, FA Cup & Champions League Treble. Dwight Yorke took on a leading role in working with Bring Hope Humanitarian Foundation's in 2016.

Tim Howard. Man Utd 2003-2007. A devout Christian
Faith is a key part of Howard's life and shapes who he is. He won 4 honours with Manchester United and Howard is the most capped goalkeeper of all-time for the United States men's national team with 121 caps.

Louis Saha. Man Utd 2004-2008. Injuries plagued his Old Trafford career, however he did enjoy success with twice winning the Premier League, the 2007–08 Champions League and also scored six times on route to victory in the League Cup, including one goal in the final.

Rio Ferdinand. Man Utd 2002-2014. Rio won 6 Premier League titles and 14 trophies at Man United. Ferdinand was capped 81 times for England making him England’s 2nd most capped black player. Rio setup the Live the Dream Foundation in 2009 creating opportunities for young people.

Patrice Evra. Man Utd 2006-2014. Evra has 24 siblings & speaks 5 languages. He was hated by many opposing fans, adored by Utd ones, and after eight wonderful years, he cannot be ignored as one of the club’s best-ever players. Evra recently pledged £250k to the NHS.

Danny Welbeck. Man Utd 2008-2014. When he was 17, Welbeck won the Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year award, which is the prize given to the best player of the Academy and the Reserves. He went on to win 8 honours with United including 2 PL Titles a Champions League & Club World Cup.

Antonio Valencia. Man Utd 2009-2019. Valencia won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, three Community Shields and the Europa League. He was the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year in 2011 & won the Players' Player of the Year in that same season and again in 2016

Chris Smalling. Man Utd 2010-2020. Smalling made over 300 appearances for United winning 11 major honours along the way. Chris spent his 29th Birthday raising £29k for a Homeless Charity in Manchester.

Marcus Rashford. Man Utd 2016-Present. An extraordinary young man with talent & drive that stretches well beyond the football field. He was awarded an MBE by the Queen of England for his services to vulnerable children during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Part 2.

Dion Dublin. Man Utd 1992-1995. Dublin scored United’s first-ever winning goal in the Premier League, a late strike at Southampton in 1992. He won two english titles at United. Helped countless charity’s & is on the board of directors at the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Quinton Fortune. Man Utd 1999-2006. One of few South Africa players to play in two FIFA World Cups, the Champions League, and for the biggest club in English football. Quinton is an inspiration to many that anything is possible in life if you work hard & believe.

Mikaël Silvestre. Man Utd 1999-2008. He won four Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Champions League at United. He has since done a lot of charity work & is president of the Les Ecoles de l’Espoir Charity that helps children from very poor backgrounds.