Bryan Robson provides Manchester United players with financial support

Among the legendary players to have ever pulled on a Manchester United shirt, there are very few with the same pedigree as Bryan Robson, who is commonly known as Captain Marvel.

A brilliant midfielder at his pomp, Robson – a former England international too – played an eye-catching 453 matches for the Old Trafford outfit.

That was between his debut in 1981 and when he left to play for Middlesbrough in 1994 and he won all manner of silverware across his 13-year spell at the club.

A two-time champion of England with United, the 69-year-old has always maintained a positive relationship with the club.

It hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows for Bryan Robson, though, as financial mismanagement has seen him lose plenty of money over the years.

Not only has he been fooled into investing a whopping £250,000 into a supposed hotel venture in Canada (which was never erected) but he also lost £550,000 to HMRC.

The latter amount of cash was due to a film investment scheme, which offered tax relief.

Saddened by the fact that so many footballers – both past and present – fall into financial insecurity because of poor advice, the former engine room patroller has set up Xentum Sport.

Alongside former United player Simon Andrews – who retired from football and became a financial adviser – Robson is on a mission to educate players on how to be financially smart.

“The moment they sign that first professional contract, footballers become a target,’ Robson said, per Daily Mail. ‘They are a cash cow for hangers-on, con artists and opportunists.

“It’s evil, they know what they’re doing. 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.”

Going to Manchester United and providing such an important message was reportedly Robson’s first port of call – and he subsequently spoke with INEOS chief finance officer Roger Bell.

Over dinner, Robson offered Bell his expertise and said that he would like to give practical advice to the younger players.

Bell understood the value of such an initiative and, as a result, the former midfielder was granted his wish and he spoke to the Under-18s, the Under-21s, Marc Skinner’s women’s side and player welfare staff.

Conversations ensued and there were problems that ran deep, so deep that hidden fees were inserted into certain contracts by agents.

The report insists that one 20-year-old has £150,000 in savings to buy a house worth £3.5 million, though he had no idea of a mortgage or stamp duty.

“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,” Robson said.

“‘The kids are vulnerable. When I signed my first deal, I had my parents with me. My dad was a long-distance lorry driver, my mum was a cook. They were intelligent but they didn’t pretend to know everything about the financial side.

“Now parents are trying to be advisers but again don’t know enough about the money and the sums are greater. They become easy targets for people who aren’t registered.”