Today’s clash between Ipswich and Leicester will bring together a number of players with Manchester United connections, including winger Lee Martin, who was at Old Trafford before moving to Portman Road four years ago, and new signing Reece Brown, who joined on loan from the Premier League champions-in-waiting this week.

Meanwhile, the Foxes will have another United loanee, Michael Keane, in their ranks alongside Ritchie de Laet, Ben Marshall and Danny Drinkwater, who all spent time with the Red Devils, as did midfielder Richie Wellens, who was on loan with the Blues earlier in the season.

Martin said: “I was saying to Aaron Mclean the other day that ex-United players are a bit like rats — you’re never too far from one of them!”

Although he only made a handful of first team appearances for the Premiership giants Martin believes he benefited from his time there, even if he did receive the famous Sir Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment.

Martin, whose time with United was punctuated with loan spells at Royal Antwerp, Rangers, Stoke, Plymouth, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest, added: “He was very strict about how his young players should behave and I got on the wrong side of him a couple of times — enough said!

“You are taught the right way from the minute you walk through the door. Everything is the best of the best and it’s often a shock to come from that level down to the Championship.

“There are a lot of players who don’t make it but they still make a good living for themselves from the game.

"They are very good players but it’s also because of what they learned at Old Trafford and the fact that they took it on board at a young age and it has stayed with them.

“That’s credit to the club and how well they develop players. You learn so much when you are there and to be honest I wish I’d stayed there longer.

“I wanted to go out on loan so that I could play regularly but if I’d stayed at United I would have had better advice and probably developed my game a lot more because I would have been around some of the best players in the world.”

Photo: Action Images

gazmangaz added 10:59 - Mar 2 I wish you'd stayed there longer too !!
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mutters added 12:04 - Mar 2 Martin is really not doing himself any favours. If it was such a shock to drop down to our level then he shouldn't of signed. Please turn he lights out behind when you leave Lee
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runningout added 12:38 - Mar 2 one of the main reasons not enough young decent footballers go on to impress, and sulk somewhat instead. They seem to have it in their heads to go down a division is a form of insult, rather than a wake up call, that can ignite potential..
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shefkuqi32 added 13:54 - Mar 2 Never been that impressed, another million pound + signing that showed only glimpses of looking like a decent player. Since Marcus Evans plowed money into the club the signings have actually got worse then better, BFJ had no money and brought in some really decent players that wanted to play and prove themselves, that and a mixture of homegrown talent Westy, Bent etc was just a good team to watch.

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