Derided by some as one of the ugliest men in football, Luke Chadwick is a name long forgotten by Man United fans. He was a homegrown right sided winger who went on to make 25 appearances for the club and score two goals as well. He was always blessed with pace but was poor in delivering an end product. Yet he was touted as one of the best prospects out of the Academy since the class of ’92.
The majority of his appearances for the Manchester club came in the League Cup games and he never managed to force his way into the starting eleven for important matches. He was the ideal squad rotation player. To gain more playing time, he was loaned to Royal Antwerp, Reading, and Burnley in 2001, 2003 and 2004 respectively. He lacked the quality to be a successful Man United player and subsequently moved to West Ham on a free transfer.
Despite a decent first season in London, he was then loaned to Stoke – a move which was made permanent the following year. He quickly became a fans favourite at the Britannia Stadium as his pace, ball control and dribbling ability made him a dangerous player from the right wing. His popularity only grew, scoring a wonderful goal against Walsall in the fourth round of the FA Cup, which was voted the goal of the round.
Unfortunately, his form faded off and he was sold to Norwich at the earliest.
His time at Carrow Road was hampered with injuries, making just 16 appearances in 2 years at the club. Frustrated, he moved clubs again, joining MK Dons on a loan before making it a permanent transfer in 2008.
Rediscovery at MK Dons
He played the best football of his life for MK Dons, making 210 appearances and scoring 17 goals. At the end of the 2009–10 season Chadwick was voted the Milton Keynes Dons Player of the Season. He won the award for the second year running at the end of the 2010–11 season.
At the twilight of his career, he moved to his hometown club Cambridge United whom he supported his entire life. Though very emotional during his time there, he still managed to perform decently.
He then moved to semi-professional club Soham Town Rangers. After spending just one season, he hung his boots up and moved back to Cambridge United as a coach.
Luke Chadwick was never destined for greatness, neither did he expect it. He was always happy with what he had and was a player who always put his best foot forward.