MANCHESTER UNITED last faced Ipswich Town at Portman Road over 20 years ago.
But it will be Ruben Amorim’s first taste as the manager of the Red Devils this Sunday.
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The Portuguese boss has replaced Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hot seat and started work in training.
He hopes to get off to a positive start against the Tractor Boys, and history will give him some confidence.
The last league encounter at Portman Road ended in a 1-0 away victory for Man United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Much has changed at the club since April 2002, especially the starting XI.
Here is a look at the starting team from that match and what the old players are up to…
Roy Carroll
In goal for Man United was the Northern Irish stopper Roy Carroll.
He stayed at the club until 2005 and went on to have stints at West Ham, Rangers and Derby County.
He continued his career abroad as he played for Danish outfit Odense Boldklub and Greek sides OFL and Olympiacos.
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Carroll returned to England in 2014 with Notts County and continued his career right up until 2021.
However, he made a shock return to playing in 2023 as he came out of retirement to play for Ballinamallard United in Northern Ireland.
Phil Neville
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Phil Neville started the match against the Tractor Boys on the left side of the defence.
The defender also stayed at the club until 2005, when he left for Everton.
Neville stayed at the Toffees up until he retired in 2013 and moved into coaching roles at Man United and Valencia.
In 2018, he was named the manager of the England Women’s team and stayed in the role until he stepped down in 2021.
He then had a stint as the head coach of Canada and is now in charge of the MLS outfit the Portland Timbers.
Wes Brown
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Wes Brown was one of the two centre-backs that kept a clean sheet in the match.
He stayed at Man United until 2011 and went on to have spells at Sunderland, Blackburn and Indian side Kerala Blasters.
The Englishman retired in 2018 and started a car firm.
In 2023, he was declared bankrupt despite his £50,000-per-week career.
John O’Shea
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John O’Shea partnered Brown in the heart of the defence.
The Irishman also left the club in 2011 as he joined Brown at the Black Cats.
He stayed at the club until 2018 after suffering back-to-back relegations to League One.
He retired in 2019 after a year with Reading and has most recently been the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland.
Denis Irwin
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Denis Irwin was coming to the end of his playing days when he lined up against Ipswich Town.
He retired in 2004 after a two-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After hanging up his boots, he moved into media and started working as a presenter for MUTV.
He has gone on to become a columnist at Ireland’s Sunday World newspaper and a contributor to RTE.
Nicky Butt
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Nicky Butt played in the midfield against Ipswich Town for Man United.
He stayed at the club until 2004 but enjoyed a good spell at Newcastle until 2010.
He retired in 2011 after playing for Hong Kong outfit South China.
He most recently was working at Salford City as the CEO but stepped down in October.
Butt was one of the Man United legends that invested in the club back in 2014.
Michael Stewart
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Michael Stewart made one of his handful of Premier League appearances for Man United against Ipswich Town.
The midfielder left the club in 2005, having only made 14 appearances in all competitions.
He spent the majority of his career in Scotland with Hibernian and Hearts of Midlothian.
He ended his playing days back in England with Charlton Athletic in 2011.
After retiring, Stewart entered into politics as he ran for the SNP in the 2015 General Election and became the MP of Edinburgh West constituency.
He has since worked as a pundit for BBC Scotland and for the Scottish Sun.
Luke Chadwick
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Luke Chadwick was another part of Ferguson’s midfield against Ipswich Town.
He left Man United in 2004 and continued playing until 2016.
The midfielder had stints at clubs such as West Ham, Stoke City, Norwich City, MK Dons, and Cambridge Town before his final club Soham Town Rangers.
He was most recently the Director of The Football Fun Factory, which is a coach provider, and he runs his own branch.
Roy Keane
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Roy Keane was the final midfielder in the team at Portman Road.
He left the club in 2005 for a single season at Celtic before retiring from playing.
Keane then tried his hand at management with stints at Sunderland and Ipswich Town.
He also coached under Martin O’Neill at the Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest.
He has now become a fan-favourite pundit on Sky Sports with fans often hailing his analysis.
Keane recently praised future son-in-law Taylor Harwood-Bellis after he scored on his England debut.
Diego Forlan
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Diego Forlan was one of two strikers to start the match for Man United against Ipswich Town.
The Uruguayan forward struggled to show his best form during his two-year spell at the Red Devils.
He left in 2004 and went on to become one of the best in Europe during his stint at LaLiga sides Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.
He retired from football in 2018, but that did not end his sporting career.
Earlier this month, he was the wildcard entry into the 2024 Uruguay Open main doubles draw.
However, he and his partner, Argentine Federico Coria, were beaten in straight sets.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
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Ruud van Nistelrooy was the match-winner against Ipswich Town with his 45th-minute goal.
The Dutchman was one of the most prolific strikers during his time in the Premier League.
He left Old Trafford in 2006 for Real Madrid and ended his career in 2012 at Malaga.
The former striker has since turned to coaching and was the interim boss at Man United following Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
He won three of four games during his unbeaten time in charge of the club before he was axed by Amorim.
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