Forgotten Man Utd academy star returns to first-team training after 21 YEARS at the age of 36 following 600-game career

A FORGOTTEN Manchester United academy ace has returned to train with the club 21 YEARS after he left.

The 36-year-old never turned out for the Red Devils‘ first-team as he was deemed too small.

Tommy Rowe has been spotted in training with Manchester UnitedX - MUFC

He has featured in the Premier League 2 for the clubGetty

Tommy Rowe left Old Trafford in 2003 after one year in the academy as he joined Stockport County.

The winger went on to enjoy a successful career in the English Football League.

He made 601 appearances for seven different clubs, including Peterborough United and Doncaster Rovers.

His best season came in 2016/17, as he netted 13 times for Doncaster in League Two.

Rowe has now become the latest former Man United player to link up with the Under-21s.

However, has now been pictured training with the first-team squad.

He followed in the footsteps of Tom Huddlestone and Paul McShane, who also held player-coach roles, but has gone one further by joining Erik ten Hag‘s squad for a session.

Huddlestone made 24 appearances for the U21s before he left the club in the summer.

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The club completed the deal to bring in the former academy player back in September.

Rowe has already made six appearances for the U21s in the Premier League 2 as well as one in the EFL Trophy.

Getty

Rowe is in a similar role to what Tom Huddlestone had at the club[/caption]

During his career, he reached the championship but played up and down the English leagues.

Rowe enjoyed play-off success from League Two with Stockport as well as League One play-off and Football League trophy victories with the Posh.

He has insisted that he is keen to remain in the sport for the next five decades.

He told the Yorkshire Post in 2023: “I am asked questions about how long my career is and it is never defined. It’s how I see it tomorrow.

“It would destroy me if someone said I came into training and didn’t care. That would be when I ended my career.

“Because I know until this point that I have done all I can do to put things right.

“Whatever success is to everyone else is probably not the same version that I see for myself.

“I have aspirations of being in football for the next forty or fifty years.

“So I can’t actually stop playing football as football has an ongoing appeal and will stay in my mind forever.

“I don’t even think about retirement at any point. I just keep going. I have got that clear in mind.”