Editing Robbie Savage (section)

===Early career===
Born in [[Wrexham]], Savage started his playing career with local sides [[Brickfield Rangers F.C.|Brickfield Rangers]]<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WDW8f5hJWwcC&q=lex+xi&pg=PT14|title=Savage!: The Robbie Savage Autobiography|isbn=9781907195631|last1=Self|first1=Janine|last2=Savage|first2=Robbie|date=18 January 2011}}</ref> and [[Lex XI F.C.|Lex XI]].<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/sport/18607568.brymbo-chirk-queens-park-gresford-athletic-great-welsh-national-football-league-memories-come-flooding-back/|title=Looking back on 75 years of the Welsh National Football League|website=The Leader}}</ref> When he finished school, he joined [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] as a trainee and originally played as a striker. He played in the [[FA Youth Cup]] winning team of 1992, and was later given a professional contract, but never played a first-team game for the club and signed for [[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe Alexandra]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/sport/robbie_savage.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103070356/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/sport/robbie_savage.shtml |archive-date=3 January 2009 |title=Robbie Savage |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>

He switched into midfield early in his time at Crewe and proved himself as a competent young player, helping them reach the [[Football League Second Division|Division Two]] play-offs in his first two seasons at the club; a remarkable feat for a newly promoted club who had only played at this level twice in the previous 30 years. Crewe then made it third time lucky by sealing promotion via the [[1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final|play-offs in 1997]]. It was the first time that Crewe had reached the second tier of the [[English football league system]], but shortly after helping Crewe win promotion, Savage handed in a transfer request to manager [[Dario Gradi]].