With Michael Carrick's blessing, Manchester United have brought in club legend Bryan Robson to speak to academy players about the potential pitfalls of their wealth
Head Coach Michael Carrick, Bryan Robson
Michael Carrick has turned to Bryan Robson to help the young players(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Manchester United have turned to Bryan Robson in an attempt to steer young players away from some of the pitfalls that come with professional football. Robson is a United legend from his own playing days and is now determined to shape the lives of the next generation coming through at Carrington.
Robson made 461 appearances for United between 1981 and 1994, earning himself the nickname "Captain Marvel" in the process. He remains a part of modern-day United as an ambassador for the club and has been invited by Michael Carrick to watch training sessions.
The 69-year-old has a wealth of experience as both a player and as a manager. And he is now using his own background in an attempt to help others avoid making some of the mistakes he did.
Like many footballers, Robson lost money investing in schemes that didn't work out. He lost £250,000 investing in a hotel that didn't get built and £550,000 in a film investment scheme that was supposed to provide tax relief.
Such stories are all-too-common in professional football, where wealth is thrust upon young and impressionable men. That is why Robson has teamed up with former United player Simon Andrews to try and educate the next generation.
"For some, their first contract at Manchester United might be the best they get but they then try and live above their means when they drop a division to another club on less money. The kids are vulnerable," Robson The Daily Mail.
"The moment they sign that first professional contract, footballers become a target. They are a cash cow for hangers-on, con artists and opportunists. It's evil, they know what they're doing.
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson is determined to stop others making the same mistakes(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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"I've seen it so many times, I've been taken in myself and I wish I hadn't, it's not right and I just had to do something about it." Robson and Andrews have spoken to the United under-18s, under-21s, women's team and player welfare staff.
Back in 2016, The Mirror reported on a Ponzi scheme which lured Ex-Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, former Hull midfielder Jimmy Bullard and Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor. It is understood that around 100 players were among those to lose an estimated £30million to the scam.
And in 2018, it emerged that United legends Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand were among those to have lost a combined £25m to another scheme.
Wayne Rooney, Kai Rooney and Coleen Rooney during Nordoff Robbins' Legends of Football at JW Marriott Grosvenor House
Wayne Rooney's son Kai is a star of the Manchester United academy(Image: JMEnternational, Getty Images)
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"The trouble is footballers are very proud," Robson added. "A lot of that's down to the image you want to project of being a top player but, as a consequence, they are very reluctant to open up when they think they've been kidded out of money. They keep it to themselves rather than seek help immediately and then go on a downward spiral chasing money they can't get back.
"Some have ended up contemplating suicide, it has to stop. We hear so much about campaigns such as V11, former players who lost millions in dodgy property schemes. They've spent millions more trying to recover what they've lost."
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