What happened to Man United's 1998-99 treble-winning squad?

The winner of Swedish Celebrity Masterchef, an avid fisherman and a promising non-league manager… after Wes Brown was declared BANKRUPT, what happened to the rest of Man United’s 1998-99 treble-winning squad?

• Ex-Manchester United treble-winner Wes Brown has been declared bankrupt
• Brown was part of United’s iconic squad in 1998-99 under Sir Alex Ferguson
• Mail Sport takes a look at what happened to the rest of Brown’s team-mates 

News broke on Thursday that former England and Manchester United footballer Wes Brown had been declared bankrupt at the High Court.

HMRC filed a bankruptcy petition against Brown, who reportedly earned £50,000-a-week during his playing days at Old Trafford, on February 27.

The petition was rubber-stamped at the High Court on April 12 and listed on The Gazette, the official public record.

It is upsetting news for another former footballer after Mail Sport reported earlier this month that ex-Premier League star Craig Bellamy was also bankrupt.

Defender Brown, 43, was in United’s first team for 15 years having come through the Old Trafford club’s academy ranks.

It was revealed this week that former Manchester United treble-winner Wes Brown has been declared bankrupt after a HMRC petition was rubber-stamped at the High Court

Brown made 362 appearances for United during a 15-year-spell with the club from 1996-2011

He was part of an iconic United team under Sir Alex Ferguson who won the treble in 1998-99 

Mail Sport takes a look at what happened to the rest of United’s famous squad of 1998-1999

He made 362 appearances for the club, winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cup, two League Cups and two Champions Leagues during an illustrious career.

This included being part of United’s famous treble-winning squad of 1999 under Sir Alex Ferguson, before he also went on to represent Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers and Kerala Blasters during his career. Brown also won 23 caps for England.

In light of the sad news surrounding Brown’s finances, Mail Sport takes a look at what has happened to the rest of United’s famous squad of 1998-1999. 

GOALKEEPERS 

Peter Schmeichel – The giant Danish keeper was one of the big personalities who drove United to the treble. Schmeichel could easily have gone into management after retiring but instead has worked as a television pundit and is an ambassador for United, while he has also tried his hand at after-dinner speaking.

Raimond van der Gouw – United’s back-up goalkeeper during the Treble campaign, Van der Gouw made 60 appearances over six years with the Red Devils. He moved into coaching after retirement in 2007 and is currently PSV’s goalkeeping coach. The Dutchman spent 11 years in the same role at Vitesse and also had a two-year spell at Sunderland after being brought in by former United team-mate Roy Keane.

Former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel now works as a pundit after retiring back in 2003

DEFENDERS 

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 occasionally ITV. He is a co-owner of League Two club Salford City and has business interests in Manchester.

Denis Irwin – An underrated and reliable presence at left-back, Irwin is the joint-most successful Irish footballer in history – shared with Roy Keane – having won 19 trophies during his career. He was regarded as Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest-ever signing, and since retiring he has spent time as a pundit and is also an ambassador for United. In 2016, Irwin was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

David May – May was a two-time title winner during nine years at Old Trafford, before ending his career with spells at Burnley and Bacup Borough. He has dabbled in coaching, while May is now an avid fisher and regularly shows off pictures of his recent catches. He also remains a regular co-host on Man United’s official podcast  and has conducted multiple interviews with club legends both past and present. 

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

Gary Neville (right) and Roy Keane (left) are two of many treble winners to go into punditry 

David May is now an avid fisher and regularly shows off pictures of his recent catches

Jaap Stam –  The rock at the centre of United’s treble-winning defence and one of the most formidable players Old Trafford has seen. He moved 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 which ended in 2021.

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 previously coached the England Women’s team. He is also a co-owner of Salford along with his Class of 92 colleagues.

John Curtis – The name you wouldn’t be able to recall if this was a pub quiz. Curtis played 14 times in the league for United and went on to play for numerous clubs in England, including Nottingham Forest between 2005 and 2007. He is the founder and technical director of NCE [National Center of Excellence] Soccer based in Fairfield, Connecticut, while he also had a spell as assistant boss to former Premier League defender Radhi Jaidi with USL side Hartford Athletic.

Henning Berg – The Norwegian defender moved into management in 2005 after retiring the year before. He has since had a nomadic career in the dugout, with eight different managerial roles across five countries, including a 57-day stint with former club Blackburn Rovers. Berg was sacked by Cypriot club Pafos FC earlier this month after a run of seven games without a win. 

Michael Clegg – Clegg played just three times in 1998-99 and has had spells as strength and conditioning coach at Sunderland and United , before he moved into management with Northern Premier League Premier Division side Warrington Rylands in February this year.

Phil Neville moved into coaching and is in charge of David Beckham’s MLS side Inter Miami

Ex-United defender Henning Berg was sacked by Cypriot club Pafos FC earlier this month

MIDFIELDERS

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 in 1998. Beckham owns Inter Miami, has a share in Salford City and is an ambassador for UNICEF among other good causes, as well as a recognisable face for many brands. His son, Romeo, currently plays for Brentford’s B team.

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 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in charge. Since October, Butt has been chief executive officer at Salford City, taking over from Gary Neville. He recently opened up to Mail Sport over why he ‘had to get out’ of United.

Ryan Giggs – Having spent time as a coach at United, Giggs was Wales boss for four years between 2018-2022. However, in 2021 he was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm to his ex-girlfriend Kate Greville and common assault against her sister, Emma, along with coercive and controlling behaviour against Kate. He denied the charges, and will face a retrial this summer after the jury was unable to reach a verdict on any of the charges during the initial trial in August 2022.

Jordi Cruyff – Son of Dutch icon Johan, Cruyff has spent his time post retirement making his name as a football executive and manager. He received praise for his time with Cypriot outfit AEK Larnaca and Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv as sporting director. He then had managerial spells with Maccabi, Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic, Ecuador and Shenzhen FC. Cruyff returned to former club Barcelona as a sporting adviser in 2021.

David Beckham owns Inter Miami and remains a very recognisable face for many brands

Paul Scholes is a hard-talking pundit for BT Sport and rarely pulls punches with his opinions

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.

Roy Keane – Captain fantastic for United at times, Keane more than anyone else provided the fight and the bite in the club’s successful team in 1998-99. 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 Nottingham Forest, you wouldn’t rule out a return to the dugout.

Paul Scholes – Another class act during the 1998-99 season though incredibly modest with it. Scholes is now a pundit for BT Sport and rarely pulls punches with his opinions. He is also a Salford co-owner and was briefly their caretaker manager in 2020. Scholes also had an ill-fated short spell in charge of his boyhood club Oldham.

Philip Mulryne – An extremely peripheral member of the treble-winning side, given he left the club in March 1999 after making two appearances that season, Mulryne has since become a Dominican friar and priest in the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Mark Wilson – Wilson endured a nomadic career across all four tiers of English football and spells in Scotland the US. He now works as a youth coach across the pond and is based in New Jersey.  He also founded Beyond Pulse – a company that provides football coaches with critical health data about their players. 

Jonathan Greening – The former midfielder enjoyed a successful top flight career with the likes of Middlesbrough, West Brom and Fulham after leaving United. He has since cut his teeth in management and guided Scarborough Athletic to promotion to the National League North last season where they currently sit sixth.

Ronnie Wallwork – Wallwork has endured a troubled life since retiring from football. He was jailed for 15 months in 2011 after being charged with concealing criminal property in connection with offences related to stolen cars. He also avoided prison in February 2021 after pleading guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on an individual – he instead received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Former Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist owns a pizza restaurant in Stockholm and recently won his country’s edition of Celebrity Masterchef

Former midfielder Jonathan Greening has since launched a burgeoning coaching career

STRIKERS 

Andy Cole – One of the most underrated Premier League strikers in history, Cole sits fourth in the league’s list of all-time goalscorers. Since retirement, he has enjoyed short spells as an attacking coach at MK Dons, Huddersfield, and Southend United, but he heartbreakingly suffered kidney failure in 2015. The forward has opened up on his struggles ever since and set up the Andy Cole Fund to raise money for Kidney Research UK.

Teddy Sheringham – The former striker has been more notable for his poker career since retiring, but he tried his hand at management when he took over League Two side Stevenage in 2015. However, he endured a dismal spell with the club and was dismissed from the role having won just seven of his 33 games in charge. He spent a subsequent short stint with Indian side ATK and has also worked as a pundit.

Dwight Yorke – Another prolific marksman in Sir Alex Ferguson’s ranks, Yorke spent time as a pundit after initially joining Trinidad and Tobago as assistant manager following his retirement. After a long-time searching for a managerial role, he was handed his first job in the hot seat last July when he took over A-League side Macarthur FC, before he left by mutual consent in January.  

Dwight Yorke left his first and only managerial role with Macarthur FC in Australia in January

Former striker Teddy Sheringham tried his hand at management, but struggled at Stevenage

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – A club legend having been the man to score the winner in the Champions League final with his last-minute goal, he coached United’s reserves before managing Molde on two occasions and Cardiff City. In 2018, he returned to Old Trafford as caretaker manager after Jose Mourinho was sacked and would go onto lead the club for three years before he was dismissed in November 2021.

Erik Nevland – Solskjaer’s fellow countryman struggled to make an impact at United, but he later returned to the Premier League by spending two years with Fulham from 2008-10. Now retired, he is the sporting director of Norwegian side Viking.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the stoppage time winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final at the Nou Camp to help the club secure the historic treble

Solskjaer returned to the club as manager and spent three years in the role from 2018-2021

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