Ex Celtic player says he picked Man Utd anthem as he claims Sky Sports pundit has ‘fertile imagination’

Former Celtic star Brian McClair claims that he was the one who brought the sound of Stone Roses to Old Trafford rather than former Red Devils captain Gary Neville.

Manchester United’s home games have become synonymous with music from the Stone Roses and they regularly walkout to the popular 1989 hit ‘This is the One’ in the build-up to big games at Old Trafford.

Former Red Devils defender and now Sky Sports pundit Neville takes credit for the introduction of the now iconic football anthem and told the Stick to Football panel that it was his idea as captain for the club to have a walkout song that resonated with the people of Manchester.

Neville said they wanted to move away from the sound of Rocky - who was from Philadelphia - to something a lot closer to home.

Speaking about 'This Is The One', Neville told the Man United website: “When the manager made me captain and I knew I’d be leading the team out, I wanted a new song. 

“I wanted us to come out to a song from Manchester. I just loved 'This Is the One.' It felt to me like Old Trafford was the place where it all happened, and I'd heard enough about Oasis, for years. Manchester has got a better band than Oasis. The Stone Roses had a massive impact on the city. 

“The song has stood the test of the time, but United help keep it alive every single week. When I’m up there now on the TV gantry and John Squire's guitar starts to play, that moment still gives me goosebumps. 

“If you’re a United fan and you hear that song starting, you know it’s time for the match to start.”

However, this version of events has been disrupted by McClair. The former Celtic striker scored 99 goals in 145 league games between 1983 and 1987 - winning one Premiership and Scottish Cup title in the process.  He made the move to Old Trafford in 1987 and spent over a decade at the club before retiring at Motherwell in 1999.

McClair later returned to the Red Devils as a youth team coach for eight years between 2006 and 2015 before again leaving the club.

The 60-year-old claims Neville’s account is untrue and described the Sky Sports pundit as having a fertile imagination. 

He shared his version of events by tweeting: “A figment of Alan and Gary’s fertile imagination! Fergie wasn’t happy with Tina Turner, he wanted “Walk Away” by Matt Monroe, when I laughed at this, he stormed off and suggested I pick a tune(not his exact words!) I chose the Roses man!”