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Former Man United star looks unrecognisable on return to Old Trafford

A former Manchester United star now looks unrecognisable after marking his return to Old Trafford on Saturday. 

Wayne Rooney scored a sublime free-kick to give the hosts the lead before Gary Hooper levelled the score in the second-half. 

The player in question came through United's youth ranks in the late 90s and departed in 2004 having been part of their Premier League winning side in the 2000-01 season. 

After his latest appearance at Old Trafford, he posted on X: 'HAPPY, HUMBLED, AND EXTREMELY GRATEFUL! That’s how I’ve woken up feeling this morning after having the opportunity to live my dream again running around on the hallow turf of Old Trafford.'

Retired midfielder Luke Chadwick, is unrecognisable, with the 43-year-old now bald and sporting a beard that looked a long way off as a fresh-faced youngster at United.  

Chadwick struggled to break into the first team at United, and after a series of loan spells left the club to join West Ham in the Championship in 2004 after making 39 appearances for the Red Devils. 

He became something of an EFL stalwart, making over 400 appearances between the Championship and League Two before retiring with Cambridge United in 2015.

The midfielder returned to Old Trafford with Cambridge for an FA Cup tie in his last season in 2015 and was given a standing ovation by both sets off fans.

Chadwick will be best remembered by MK Dons fans, as he played over 200 games for the club and was named their player of the season twice.

Chadwick previously spoke out about his mental health struggles after being mocked about his appearance on BBC's sports quiz show They Think It's All Over.

The 43-year-old ended his playing career with Cambridge United in 2015 after helping them into the Football League

In an interview with Mail Sport in 2020, Chadwick opened up about how the jibes at his expense, which focused on his looks, obliterated his already fragile confidence as a youngster.

The presenter of the show Nick Hancock publicly apologised to Chadwick, as did team captain Gary Lineker who appeared on the show - with both being accepted by Chadwick.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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