Phil Chisnall

Manchester United

Chisnall made his debut for the United first team under Matt Busby in December 1961, at the age of 19, playing against Everton. He played in nine straight games and scored his first goal during a 2–0 victory in the Manchester derby at Maine Road. He spent the following season primarily with the reserve team to develop his skills. Chisnall was given the number 8 shirt at the start of the 1963–64 season, displacing Albert Quixall. He went on to form a strike partnership with Ian Moir and David Sadler, both of whom had also been recently promoted. His performance resulted in his being called up to the England under-23 team in November 1963. He made one appearance for the England squad, a 4–2 win over Germany at Anfield. Alf Ramsey said at the time that Chisnall was "probably the best passer of a ball in the country". However, he fell out of favour from the club starting lineup towards the latter part of 1963–64. He played a total of 47 times for the club, scoring 10 goals.

Liverpool

Chisnall was subsequently transferred to Liverpool in April 1964 for a fee of £25,000. He recounted how Busby informed him of the offer but assured him that there was no compulsion for him to leave. Chisnall observed how his transfer was helped by the close friendship between Busby and Bill Shankly, which he compared to brothers, as well as father and son. He said in 2007 "there was nothing like the intensity between [Liverpool] and United that now exists". He…

Chisnall was born in Manchester on 27 October 1942. He played schools football for both Lancashire and England. Growing up a fan of Manchester United, he signed for the club as an apprentice in April 1958, two months after the Munich air disaster. He suffered a knee injury that almost jeopardised his career but eventually recovered. He subsequently turned professional in November 1959.

After retiring from football, Chisnall settled down in Urmston. He operated two betting shops, before becoming a factory processor in Trafford Park and working at a malt loaf bakery. His grandson played as a winger for United's academy team around 2007. Chisnall expressed his displeasure at the manner in which the attempted transfer of Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United to Liverpool unfolded in the summer of 2007. He reflected how during his playing career, "you signed a contract, stayed loyal to your club until it was finished and regarded your wife as your agent. But there's no loyalty in football nowadays; players just leg it if they're unhappy." Chisnall suffered a major stroke in late 2013 that left him unable to walk and with speech problems. A charity evening was held in October 2014 near Manchester to raise money for him and was attended by former Manchester United and Manchester City players. He died on 4 March 2021 at the age of 78.