Sir Alex had just come as a manager when Eric Morrison was already the head of youth development at Manchester United and Sir Alex Fergusson had made this heart touch statement when he died in 2019.
Sir Alex told the official site:
“Eric’s contribution to football, and not just at Manchester United, was incredible.
Eric Harrison’s notable time as a footballer was Halifax town which was his local club and Barrow. He also had brief stints at Hartlepools United and Southport.
Harrison was a coach at Everton before Ron Atkinson brought him to Manchester United in 1981 to manage the youth set up. He along with Fergusson produced some of the best-talented youngsters the Premier league had ever seen.
Today marks two years since we lost our legendary youth coach, Eric Harrison ❤️ pic.twitter.com/YeFmqSyYov
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 13, 2021
David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, and Robbie Savage were some of the stars who came and developed as prime footballers under his tutelage. Harrison left Manchester United in 2008.
Manchester United won a lot of glorious titles in that era and Eric Harrison had a big part to play including the players who could make all of it possible. It may take some time to start winning as consistently as the team of that era but Ole has also focussed on developing the younger lads.
Harrison also served as an assistant coach for Wales for four years. There are many people who work behind the scenes to make all of this success possible and Harrison was one of them.
Navigating the life of a young footballer is never easy. There is the pressure of breaking into the team along with a mixed bag of excitement and anxiety but Eric Harrison always seemed to get the players ready for that next level of their life.
He helped create one of the best youth setups in England and people still remember that legendary Manchester United side for everything that they were on and off the field.
