Ranking the 5 youngest goalscorers in Manchester United history
In terms of legacy and achievements, Manchester United are one of the biggest football clubs in the world. The English side boasts of a very rich history and heritage, and have claimed all the major honors they've competed for.
As is consistent with elite clubs, Manchester United have produced quality players throughout its history.
Manchester United has been known to trust quality young players
A good number of Manchester United academy graduates have played regularly for the club after coming through the youth set-up. In addition to these academy products, the club regularly signs young prodigies from around the world.
Players like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford. and many others scored for the club for the first time at a very young age.
Without further ado, here is a list of the five youngest goalscorers in the history of Manchester United.
#5 David Sadler (17 years, 6 months and 26 days)
David Sadler started out as an inside forward for Manchester United, featuring for the youth team alongside George Best in the 1964 FA Youth Cup final. He signed his first professional contract with the club in 1963 at 17 years of age.
Sadler saw his career as a Red Devil take off brilliantly after he was converted into a defender. He helped the team win the league title in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968. The Englishman also played alongside Sir Bobby Charlton at the club. He scored his first goal for the club on August 31st 1963 in a 5-1 win over Everton at 17 years, six months and 26 days old.
David Sadler - Manchester United
Dave played 335 games for #MUFC and 4 times for England between the 1966 and 1970 World Cups
#ManUtd #ManchesterUnited https://t.co/KmSinvYP1E
Sadler remained at Old Trafford for 11 years of his career before leaving the club for Preston North End in 1974. At Preston, he played under former teammate Bobby Charlton before his retirement in 1977 due to injuries.
#4 James Nicholson (17 years, 6 months and 8 days)
James "Jimmy" Nicholson joined Manchester United as a 15-year-old in September 1958. He made his debut for the club in August 1960 under the tutelage of Sir Matt Busby in a defeat at the hands of Everton.
Nicholson scored his first goal for the club in a 4-0 win over Everton on August 31st 1960 aged 17 years, six months and eight days old. The midfielder made 31 appearances for the Red Devils in his debut season at the club, scoring a total of five goals.
At the end of the season, Busby was able to sign a number of big-name players, and this greatly impacted Nicholson's game time. The teenager was used sporadically by the manager, and he was not satisfied with the bit-part role.
24th August 1960, Belfast born Jimmy Nicholson made his United debut in the 4-0 defeat away to Everton. Jimmy went on to play 68 games in total scoring 6 goals. He left United in 1964 joining Huddersfield Town for whom he played around 300 games. #MUFC #GGMU #ManchesterUnited https://t.co/CanDqZNUnE
After only three years as a first-team player, Nicholson joined Huddersfield Town for £7,500. He made 320 appearances for the club and scored 29 goals in his time at the club.