My dad was in Man Utd’s famous class of ’92 but had to retire at 24 – now I’m making my own way under Man City legend
CHRIS CASPER was part of the famous Class of ‘92 at Manchester United alongside David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
But now his son is making a name for himself under a Manchester City legend.
Casper Sr, 48, joined the Red Devils academy in 1991 and the following year teamed up with Becks, Giggs, Neville, Nicky Butt, Robbie Savage et al to lift the FA Youth Cup, beating Crystal Palace 6-3 on aggregate.
The youngster played at centre-back and earned himself a pro contract, making his United first-team debut against Port Vale in October 1994.
The former England youth captain, who helped the Young Lions with the Under-18s Euros in 1993 with Scholes and Robbie Fowler, struggled to get a breakthrough under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, though.
And after loans to Bournemouth, Swindon and Reading, he made the transfer to the Royals permanent in November 1998 for £300,000.
But just 13 months later, at the tender age of just 24, Casper’s career was cut agonisingly short by a horror double leg fracture suffered on Boxing Day 1999.
He failed to recover from the injury following Richard Carpenter’s challenge and tragically announced his retirement in 2000.
Casper – who later reached a compensation settlement with the former Cardiff player – turned to coaching during his rehab and helped the University of Bath football team reach the first round proper of the FA Cup in 2002-03.
The ex-defender went on to manage Bury before coaching roles with Bradford and Grimsby.
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Casper then had a stint as a club support manager with the Premier League and was later reunited with Beckham, Butt, Giggs, Scholes and the Neville brothers.
They formed the consortium with Peter Lim that owns Salford City, with Casper now director of football development at Moor Lane while Neil Wood, another ex-United youngster, is head coach.
But Casper’s son Charlie, born in April 2005, has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather rather than his dad.
That is because Charlie Casper has been on the books at Burnley since he was 12 – the team Frank Casper played up front for and managed twice.
Casper Jr, 18, started out as a midfielder but has transitioned to play in goal.
After signing a scholarship with the Clarets in 2021, he has now put pen to paper on a pro contract.
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And four-time Premier League winner at the Etihad Vincent Kompany is clearly impressed by what he sees.
The Belgian has fast-tracked Casper into the senior set-up at Turf Moor.
And although he is yet to make his first-team debut, he has excelled for the U21s and has regularly taken his place on the bench for Kompany.
Speaking in 2022, grandad Frank said: “I’m very proud of him. He’s worked hard to get this.
“I used to watch him as a junior when he was a midfielder and I thought he was a good player then.
“He strikes a good ball, which helps for goalkeepers in today’s game.
“He’s a level-headed lad who will work hard and he knows what it takes to be a footballer from myself and his dad.
“It’s always difficult as a goalkeeper because it’s one position, but I just hope he can make it all the way.”