Unrecognisable Man Utd star has completely different career and even ‘wants to go by a new name’
THIS Manchester United legend has begun a new life and even sometimes goes by a different name.
The player was integral to the club’s dominance during the 90s and he featured 471 times under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The former midfielder and forward was on the books at United between 1987 and 1998 before later working as a coach in the academy.
But he now enjoys a drastically different life with an unrecognisable look.
The man in question is Brian McClair, who has distanced himself from his playing days both in looks and personality.
The Scot now has a giant grey beard with long grey locks that come downs to his shoulders and lives life as a successful podcaster.
He admitted on his podcast Life With Brian that his new appearance often triggers confusion in fans.
He said: “It happens an awful lot more than I ever imagined it would, particularly the fact I’m covered in this lovely grey stuff that’s growing out of my face.
“It’s entertaining listening. Sometimes I’ve been in situations where my name has cropped up and they’ve no idea it’s me, which is pretty bizarre.
“What I tend to say now when they ask if I’m Brian McClair is “I used to be”, which is quite flummoxing for a lot of people. How can you used to be? Who are you now? What are you now?”
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The former player, who was dubbed Choccy during his career as his named rhymed with “chocolate eclair”, playfully still likes to be called by it.
He revealed he calls himself “Chocrates” because “I’m a philosopher now.”
A picture of McClair sat at a pub went viral in January with fans in disbelief at the changes to his appearance.
The 59-year-old explained that even autograph-hunting fans think that his friends are him due to how different he now looks, and recounted a tale when he and a mate were approached at a pub.
McClair added: “My mate looks nothing like me and is comfortably three stones heavier for a start. He pointed at me and the guy said, ‘no that’s not Brian McClair.'”
“My mate handed me a bit of paper and I signed it. The guy was totally disgusted and turned to my mate and said: “What kind of f*****g person are you? Can’t you even f*****g sign an autograph?”
McClair won four Premier League titles with Man Utd before departing for Motherwell.
He later coached United’s Youth Academy between 2006 and 2015.