Lost boy who found a reason to believe

Dominic Fifield talks to a member of Manchester United's forgotten generation who is finding new purpose at West Ham

Luke Chadwick returns to the North-West today but, for this member of Manchester United's lost generation, the only glimpse of old haunts will be from a distance once the West Ham team coach grinds to a halt in the inevitable traffic jam on Lancashire's Thelwell Viaduct. "Winning titles, playing in Europe, it was a great time," said the midfielder, almost whimsically. "But I'm happier playing a lot more regularly these days."

Chadwick heads up the M6 to Preston with those heady days at Old Trafford a pleasant if distant memory, his focus these days on propelling the Hammers back to the Premiership. The Londoners appear to have quelled their most recent bout of jitters, with the 24-year-old a reassuring presence on their right flank. After a life in limbo Chadwick has finally shrugged off the tag of bit-part performer.

It has been a long time coming. The midfielder made his debut for United as a teenager and featured extensively in the side which strolled to the championship in 2001 before his career stagnated. United accepted their title that year at Goodison Park with Chadwick exiled on loan in Berkshire, watching on television as his former team-mates celebrated. That match fell between Reading's play-off semi-finals against Wolves, both of which were lost. The contrast was depressing. Last year was spent on loan at Turf Moor before his free transfer to London back in August.

"I always felt I would be on my way sooner rather than later from United," said Chadwick. "It wasn't as if I was at Burnley to gain first-team experience. My time was up.

"You have to be realistic. People like Cristiano Ronaldo have real quality. It was frustrating but a club like United are always going to bring in wonderful world-class players, even into the academy. They're the biggest club in the world, so you can't complain. They're going to play in front of you.

"There was a generation of lads there who didn't make as much of a mark as we'd have liked but look at the players at United at the time. The Nevilles, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and that crop were at their prime. How could you ever leave them out? The knock-on effect was that we didn't play and then got overtaken in the pecking order by younger lads like Darren Fletcher and Kieran Richardson."

Whether the other graduates of the youth ranks sandwiched between the Scholes and Fletcher generations are so understanding is open to question. The list of Chadwick's forgotten contemporaries is lengthy - from Danny Webber (now at Watford), Lee Roche (Burnley) and Danny Pugh (Leeds) to Bojan Djordjic and Michael Stewart (on loan at Hearts) - with most having sought solace in the lower leagues. Chadwick, for one, is pleased he did.

"When you're a kid it's great to say 'I'm a United player' but, as you get older, all you want to do is play regularly in the first team," he said. "Once you've had a taste of the senior set-up being restricted to the reserves gets to you. We were playing at Bury or Altrincham, different worlds to Old Trafford.

"I needed to kick-start it all. I asked Alex Ferguson if it was possible to get away and he did all he could to help me. I'm grateful for that. The thing he drilled into me was that it doesn't matter if you're not playing well, but the result is the be-all and end-all. That's definitely the case here at West Ham. This division is a battle. Teams see us as a big club and they're up for a scrap."

Chadwick is winning his personal battle. He has already mustered 17 league starts this season - he made only 11 as a United player - and is warming to the promotion race. His excellent display against Leeds last Friday was capped by a predatory first goal for the club even if injury forced him from the field before David Healy's stoppage-time penalty riposte.

Even so, seven points have been gained from the last three games to leave Alan Pardew's side fifth, with Nottingham Forest and Rotherham to come over Christmas. "The goal's still automatic promotion," said Chadwick. "There's no one there to run away with it. Get on a good run and you can be right up there and we've got a succession of winnable games now. Seven points at least from our next three games are a must."

Maintain that form and a return to Old Trafford, albeit among visiting ranks, as a first-team regular beckons.