MANCHESTER UNITED have had a number of legends over the years and plenty of their sons have tried to follow in their footsteps.
Nicky Butt‘s son Ruben is the latest to make a name for himself after scoring twice on his first ever start for Salford City – who are owned by the Class of 92.
The legends bought the club in 2014 and Butt did become chief executive after Gary Neville quit, but he has since stepped aside too.
Neville and his fellow Class of 92 members David Beckham and Ryan Giggs also have sporting sons.
It appears the apple does not fall far from the tree if your dad played for the Red Devils, with a number of sons forging their own careers in the game.
SunSport takes a look at some of those footie sons and how their careers have progressed.
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GK – Kasper Schmeichel (son of Peter)
Kasper Schmeichel, 39, has enjoyed a long and successful career with his crowning achievement the 2016 Premier League title win with Leicester.
He now plays for Celtic after making 284 appearances in the Prem, also winning the FA Cup with the Foxes in 2021.
CB – Harvey Neville (son of Gary)
Gary Neville‘s son Harvey, 23, was part of the academies at Valencia and United before signing for Inter Miami.
He made 15 appearances for the Beckham-owned side before moving on to another American club, Phoenix Rising, who loand him out to San Antonio FC this year.
CB – Alex Bruce (son of Steve)
The defender, 41, is another who had very successful career at the top level, playing in the Prem for the likes of Birmingham and Hull City.
He played 48 top flight games after winning promotion to the Prem three times with his dad Bruce as manager.
CB – Zach Giggs (son of Ryan)
Another former Carrington graduate, Zach Giggs is now on the books of Sheffield United.
The 19-year-old defender is yet to play for the Blades after signing in 2023 following a successful trial, but he has made two appearances for Wales Under-19s.
RWB – Tom Ince (son of Paul)
Similarly to Alex Bruce, Tom Ince, 33, has yo-yo’d between the top and second divisions, playing for 11 clubs either on loan or a permanent basis.
He is now an experienced winger plying his trade at Watford, having racked up 556 career appearances, not far off the number dad Paul ‘The Guv’nor’ Ince managed.
CM – Jack Fletcher (son of Darren)
The young midfielder, 18, is hoping to become the next breakthrough star at Old Trafford, alongside his brother Tyler.
The twins jumped ship from Manchester City in 2023 and Jack has played for England youth teams, as well as featuring on the United bench on eight occasions.
CM – Ruben Butt (son of Nicky)
Butt Jr showed he’s following in his dad’s footsteps after starring in Salford’s 4-2 win over Wolves’ U21s in the Vertu Trophy.
The midfielder was named Man of the Match and is beginning his own football journey, albeit a little further down the ladder.
LWB – Max Ibrahimovic (son of Zlatan)
Like his father, Max Ibrahimovic is making his own way in Italy, at one of Zlatan’s former clubs AC Milan.
The wide man is part of the academy and also represents Sweden Under-19s.
He is a little smaller than his father, standing at 6ft, but he did follow in his footsteps by practising taekwondo from an early age.
RW – Jordan Larsson (son of Henrik)
Copenhagen star Jordan Larsson has achieved what his father did by also playing for Sweden, winning eight caps.
He won the Danish Superliga this year, his second time winning the title after success in 2023, while he won the domestic cup in the same years.
Jordan earned his move to the Champions League side following a spell at Schalke, while he has also played for Spartak Moscow, NEC and Helsingborg in his native Sweden.
LW – Shaqueel van Persie (son of Robin)
Named after the iconic basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, the Dutch forward is still starting out in football aged 18.
He was at the Manchester City academy before joining Feyenoord, where dad Robin is head coach.
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ST – Liam van Nistelrooy (son of Ruud)
The striker is also named after someone his father idolised – the late Liam Miller – who played with Ruud van Nistelrooy at United from 2004-06.
Liam is also playing in the Netherlands as part of PSV’s academy, and is a striker just like his father.
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