sport news Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 8-1 in 1999 but what happened to the ... trends now

As Manchester United head to the City Ground for the first time in almost 24 years, it won't take much jogging of the memory to recall their last outing there.

Back in 1999, as Alex Ferguson's brilliant team battled their way to an improbable Treble, Nottingham Forest found themselves on the wrong end of a brutal beating.

The 8-1 scoreline sent gasps around the nation and was the Premier League's record away win for two decades until Leicester won 9-0 at Southampton.

The ironic thing is that when Ferguson sent on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Roy Keane in the 71st minute, with United coasting 4-1 thanks to doubles from Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, he told the Norwegian just to keep the ball and preserve energy.

Instead, Solskjaer plundered four goals in the space of 13 minutes and 48 seconds, turning a routine away win for United into a record-breaking one.

The day before, Solskjaer had been spotted buying a new pair of boots in the Trafford Centre, which nicely encapsulated his unassuming nature.

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Ferguson described him afterwards as 'the best substitute in the world', which subsequent events in the Champions League final that season would confirm.

It was a statement scoreline that gave United impetus in their successful pursuit not only of the Premier League title, won by a point from Arsenal, but also the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Unfortunately for Forest, who had ex-United manager Ron Atkinson in charge, it was just another grim milestone en route to relegation.

Atkinson, who famously sat in the wrong dug-out before his first game at the City Ground against Arsenal a few weeks earlier, angered fans by suggesting they'd seen a 'nine-goal thriller'.

But what became of the players involved that afternoon?

MANCHESTER UNITED

Peter Schmeichel - The giant Danish keeper was one of the big personalities who drove United to the Treble that season, though it's fair to say this was one of his quieter afternoons. Schmeichel could easily have gone into management after retiring but instead has worked as a television pundit and is an ambassador for United.

Gary Neville - The defender would continue playing for United until 2011 and in retirement has become one of the most respected football pundits in the country for Sky Sports and ITV. He is a co-owner of League Two club Salford City and has business interests in property in Manchester.

Ronny Johnsen - One of the most under-rated players in United's Treble squad, Johnsen has served as a club ambassador and dabbled in coaching with the Norwegian lower league club Nik Tonsberg. He has also worked as a pundit for Norwegian channel TV2.

Jaap Stam - The rock at the centre of United's Treble-winning defence and one of the most formidable players Old Trafford has seen. Moving into management after playing and has been in charge at Reading, PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord. His last posting was an unsuccessful spell with Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati.

Phil Neville - Another unsung hero of the Treble year, playing in 44 matches across all competitions. Neville is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami at present having also coached the England women's team. He is also a co-owner of Salford along with his Class of 92 colleagues.

David Beckham - His crossing and superb free-kicks were a hallmark of the Treble season as Beckham emphatically answered his critics following that infamous World Cup red card. Beckham owns Inter Miami, has a share in Salford City and is an ambassador for UNICEF and other good causes, as well as a recognisable face for many brands. His son, Romeo, currently plays for Brentford's B team.

Paul Scholes - Another class act during that season though incredibly modest with it. Scholes is now a pundit for BT Sport and rarely pulls punches with his opinions. Another of the Salford co-owners, he was briefly their caretaker manager in 2020 and also had a short spell in charge of his boyhood club Oldham.

Roy Keane - Captain fantastic for United at that time, Keane more than anyone else provided the fight and the bite in this successful team. He too has become a pundit, not shirking opinions when on Sky Sports or ITV. Having managed Sunderland and Ipswich, and been an assistant to Martin O'Neill for the Republic of Ireland and Forest, you wouldn't rule out a return to the dug-out.

Jesper Blomqvist - The Swedish winger was signed as a back-up to Ryan Giggs but ended up starting the Champions League final in the absence of Keane and Scholes. Blomqvist owns a pizza restaurant in Stockholm and recently won the Swedish edition of Celebrity Masterchef.

Dwight Yorke - Yorke's 29 goals that season after signing from Aston Villa were a major factor in the Treble win. Two of them came on that afternoon in Nottingham but he would be upstaged for once by Solskjaer. Yorke also went into management and recently parted ways with Australian A-League club Macarthur FC - his 18 games in charge included a cup win.

Andy Cole - Scored 24 times that year in a dream-like partnership with Yorke, netting United's second and third goals at the City Ground. Cole has overcome health issues and underwent a kidney transplant to save his life in 2017. Has worked as a pundit on various channels and linked up with Sol Campbell as an attacking coach at Macclesfield and Southend.

SUBSTITUTES  

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - The man who grabbed the headlines that afternoon with his four-goal blitz made plenty more as the season progressed and certainly with his stoppage time winner in the Nou Camp. Solskjaer was United manager between December 2018 and November 2021 but couldn't recreate the glory years despite signs of promise. He hasn't taken another job since but has rewatched all of the 168 matches from his tenure while spending time with his family in Norway and Cheshire. He intends to return to management at some point.

Nicky Butt - Another player who played a more prominent role in the Treble season than you might remember - combative midfielder Butt featured in 47 games in all. He has in recent years been the head of United's academy and was head of first-team development during Solskjaer's time in charge. Since October, Butt has been chief executive officer at

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