Editing Duncan Edwards (section)

==Career==
Edwards began his Manchester United career in the youth team and made several appearances for the team that won the first ever [[FA Youth Cup]] in 1953,<ref>Horne et al., p. 225.</ref> but by the time of the final had already made his debut for the first team. On 4 April 1953 he played in a [[Football League First Division]] match against [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]], which United lost 4–1,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=37293|title=Results/fixtures|publisher=Soccerbase|access-date=13 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205064258/http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=37293|archive-date=5 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> aged just 16 years and 185 days.  Mindful of the fact that his team contained a large number of ageing players, Busby was keen to bring new young players through the ranks. Edwards, along with the likes of [[Dennis Viollet]] and [[Jackie Blanchflower]], was among a number of youngsters introduced to the team that season, and the new group of players came to be known collectively as the [[Busby Babes]].<ref name="DT"/> Reviewing his performance on his first-team debut the ''[[The Guardian|Manchester Guardian]]'' newspaper commented that "he showed promise of fine ability in passing and shooting, but will have to move faster as a wing half".<ref name="book22">McCartney, p. 22.</ref>

The [[1953–54 in English football|1953–54]] season saw Edwards emerge as a semi-regular player in the United first team.<ref name="am2"/> After impressing in a friendly against [[Kilmarnock F.C.|Kilmarnock]] he replaced the injured [[Henry Cockburn (footballer)|Henry Cockburn]] for the away match against [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] on 31 October 1953,<ref name="book105">McCartney, pp. 25–26.</ref> and went on to appear in 24 league matches as well as United's [[FA Cup]] defeat to [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]].<ref name="all"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fchd.info/MANCHESU.HTM|title=Manchester United|publisher=The Football Club History Database|access-date=19 February 2008}}</ref> Nonetheless he was also still an active part of the youth squad and played in the team which won the Youth Cup for the second consecutive season.<ref name="Times"/> He made his first appearance for the national under-23 team on 20 January 1954 in Italy,<ref name="book30">McCartney, p. 30.</ref> and was considered for inclusion in the [[England national football team|full England team]], but on the day when the selection committee watched him in action, against [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] on 27 March, he gave a poor performance and was not called up.<ref name="book64">McCartney, pp. 34–36.</ref>

The following season, he established himself as United's regular left-half, making 36 first-team appearances and scoring his first goals at senior level, finishing the season with six to his name.<ref name="all"/> His performances revived calls for him to be selected for the senior England team, and a member of the selection committee was despatched to watch him play against [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] on 18 September 1954, when he was just short of his 18th birthday, but nothing came of it in the short term,<ref name="book41">McCartney, p. 41.</ref> although he was selected for a [[Football League XI]] which played an exhibition match against a [[Scottish Football League XI|Scottish League team]].<ref name="book52">McCartney, p. 52.</ref> In March he played for [[England B national football team|England B]] against an equivalent team from Germany and, despite being criticised in the press for his "poor showing",<ref name="book53">McCartney, pp. 52–53.</ref> was called up for the full national team a week later. He made his debut in a match against [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] on 2 April 1955 in the [[British Home Championship]] aged 18 years and 183 days, making him England's youngest debutant since the [[Second World War]], a record which stood for 43 years, until [[Michael Owen]] made his England debut in February 1998.<ref name="DT"/><ref name="OneEightThree">{{cite news|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/08/duncan-edwards-tribute-exhibition/|title=Duncan Edwards tribute exhibition|work=Express and Star|access-date=18 February 2008|date=8 January 2008|archive-date=10 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310045837/http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/08/duncan-edwards-tribute-exhibition/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Three weeks later United took advantage of the fact that he was still eligible for the youth team to select him for the club's third consecutive FA Youth Cup final. The decision to field an England international player in the youth team was heavily criticised, and Matt Busby was forced to pen a newspaper article defending this decision, which paid off for United as the wing-half was instrumental in a third Youth Cup win. By now, the younger players were rapidly taking over the first team.<ref name="book567">McCartney, pp. 56–57.</ref>

In May 1955, Edwards was selected for the England squad which travelled to mainland Europe for matches against [[France national football team|France]], [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] and [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]], starting all three matches.<ref name="Eng"/> Upon returning from the tour, he began a two-year stint in the [[British Army]] with the [[Royal Army Ordnance Corps]]. Army service was compulsory at the time for all men of his age under the [[national service]] scheme, with the exception of students and those working in certain trades.<ref>McCartney, p. 59.</ref> He was stationed at [[Nesscliffe]] near [[Shrewsbury]] along with teammate [[Bobby Charlton]], 12 months his junior, but was allowed leave to play for United.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/1992211.Charlton_remembers_his_lost_team_mates_/|title=Charlton remembers his lost team mates|work=Messenger Newspapers|first=Simon|last=Greenhalgh|access-date=21 February 2008|date=4 February 2008}}</ref> He also served in Wales alongside future [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] manager [[Keith Burkinshaw]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/29/workington-raise-funds-reliving-when-they-stunned-manchester-united | title= Workington raise funds reliving day they stunned Manchester United | work=The Guardian | first=Jamie | last=Jackson | date=29 May 2020 | access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref> Edwards took part in army matches, and in one season played nearly 100 matches in total.<ref>Meek, p. 102.</ref> In the [[1955–56 in English football|1955–56]] season, despite missing nearly two months of action due to a severe bout of [[influenza]],<ref>McCartney, pp. 60–61.</ref> Edwards played 33 times as United won the championship of [[the Football League]] by a margin of 11 points ahead of their nearest challengers [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]].<ref name="all"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=5&seasonid=85&x=14&y=14|title=Final 1955/1956 English Division 1 (old) Table|publisher=Soccerbase|access-date=19 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205064215/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=5&seasonid=85&x=14&y=14|archive-date=5 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> The following season he made 34 league appearances, taking his total past the 100 mark, as United won a second consecutive league title,<ref name="all"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=5&seasonid=86&x=14&y=14|title=Final 1956/1957 English Division 1 (old) Table|publisher=Soccerbase|access-date=19 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205064220/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=5&seasonid=86&x=14&y=14|archive-date=5 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> and was also in the team that contested the [[1957 FA Cup Final]], in which United missed out on [[Double (association football)|the Double]] after a 2–1 defeat to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/broken-dreams-united-and-villa-in-a-game-of-two-eras-767656.html|title=Broken dreams: United and Villa in a game of two eras|work=The Independent|access-date=19 February 2008|date=2 January 2008}}</ref> He also made seven appearances during United's first ever foray into the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]],<ref name="all"/> including a 10–0 win over [[RSC Anderlecht|Anderlecht]] which remains the club's biggest-ever margin of victory. United reached the semi-finals of this competition, being ousted by Real Madrid.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/team_records.sd?teamid=1724|title=Manchester United all time records|publisher=Soccerbase|access-date=21 February 2008|date=23 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126063911/http://www.soccerbase.com/team_records.sd?teamid=1724|archive-date=26 January 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

By now he was also a regular in the England team, featuring in all four of England's qualifying matches for the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 World Cup]] and scoring two goals in the 5–2 win over [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] on 5 December 1956.<ref name="Eng"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/58qual.html|title=World Cup 1958 qualifications|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=15 September 2010}}</ref> He was expected to be a key player for England in the 1958 World Cup, and was seen as a likely candidate to replace the ageing [[Billy Wright (footballer born 1924)|Billy Wright]] as national team captain.<ref name="Inferior">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/02/03/sfnbob103.xml |title=Charlton: Duncan Edwards was hard as nails |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Bobby |last=Charlton |date=3 February 2008 |access-date=1 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404162658/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fsport%2F2008%2F02%2F03%2Fsfnbob103.xml |archive-date=4 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2252311,00.html|title=Busby Babes were destined for great things|first=David |last=Meek|work=The Guardian|access-date=19 February 2008|date=6 February 2008}}</ref>

Edwards began the [[1957–58 in English football|1957–58]] season in good form and rumours abounded that top Italian clubs were seeking to sign him, as United battled with Wolverhampton Wanderers in their bid for a third successive league title, and made a strong start to their quest in the FA Cup and European Cup.<ref>McCartney, p. 105.</ref> His final match in England took place on 1 February 1958, when he scored the opening goal to help United defeat [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] 5–4 at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Busby Babes' last game before Munich |url=https://www.arsenal.com/history/post-war-arsenal/busby-babes-last-game-before-munich |website=Arsenal.com |publisher=The Arsenal Football Club |date=10 May 2017 |access-date=2 October 2018 }}</ref> The press were critical of his performance, with the ''Sunday Pictorial''{{'}}s correspondent writing that he did not "think [Edwards'] display in this thrilling game would impress England team manager [[Walter Winterbottom]], who was watching. He was clearly at fault for Arsenal's fourth goal when, instead of clearing, he dallied on the ball".<ref name="book113">McCartney, p. 113.</ref> Five days later he played his last ever match as United drew 3–3 away to [[Red Star Belgrade]] to progress to the semi-finals of the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] by an aggregate score of 5–4.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2251378,00.html|title=United through: excitement aplenty in second half|author=Old International|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 February 2008|date=6 February 1958}}</ref>