The outstanding player for Rangers at Chelsea was Richard Dunne, according to most fans.
His manager added to the acclaim when he labelled the evergreen defender ‘outstanding’ – but it was ever thus remembers his pal now and at Manchester City when Dunne, Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips wore sky blue rather than hoops.
Onuoha is fighting his way back from a hamstring strain, but was all praise for the man who mentored him at City five years back and counting.
The defender also recalls a different Wright-Phillips from the all but forgotten winger who got a rare recall to the bench at Chelsea last weekend.
“It was great playing with Richard Dunne, Sylvain Distin and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who at the time was one of the best wingers in the country,” Onuoha said.
“All three were very nice people. I used to be amazed by Richard Dunne. He could play with what seemed like one leg - and still get seven out of 10 every game.
“My job entailed getting the ball to Shaun, and then do a fake overlap, so he would go on and score.”
Onuoha is one of football’s bright boys. An A level scholar when he was at City, he got grief from his team-mates doing his homework on the way to youth games, but was mighty glad his ability to kick a ball saved him from a life of drudgery in an accountant’s office.
He explained: “I like reading psychology and I was always hard working, but it wasn’t a case of getting out the Financial Times - just getting through tasks I knew I had to do.
“I did maths, business and IT for A levels and got three As. I also studied accountancy, but that turned out to be one of the most boring years in my life.”
Onuoha could have been a top athlete as well. Aged 14 he finished second in the 2001 English School's Athletics Association Junior 100 metres clocking 11.09 seconds and beat Great Britain sprinter Craig Pickering, who went on to become U23 national champion.
However, wintry Manchester was no place for athletics as Onuoha pointed out.
“I had to choose what training to do in the winter, and that’s when I became a Man City ‘scholar,” he added.
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