Manchester United great catches up with England Rugby League star born in same village

The village of Nelson is not too familar for those not from the area.

A 13 minute drive from Burnley, Nelson has a population of less than 30,000 people but despite that it is home to two well known figures in the world of sport.

It is the home town of both former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan and England international rugby league star Herbie Farnworth.

As many know, Farnworth was a Man Utd youth player prior to jetting off for a life in Australia in his early years, a move which eventually led to his stardom in the NRL with the Brisbane Broncos.

But now the 22-year-old is thriving on the international stage as he’s delivered some outstanding displays in helping England reach a World Cup semi-final against Samoa at the Emirates Stadium this Saturday.

And via Twitter last night, former Manchester United and England assistant Phelan revealed he had caught up with the man from his home town where he was able to ‘learn and adopt from another sport’.

https://twitter.com/Mike_Phelan_1/status/1590100905734856704

He tweeted: “Caught up with another sportsman born and bred in the same small village as me yesterday afternoon. It’s great to see what you can learn and adopt from other sports and different generations.”

Phelan, who recently turned 60, has had a superb coaching career after featuring for Burnley, Norwich City, Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion during his playing days.

Following his retirement he has since coached numerous teams at the highest level, including England and Man Utd, helping the Red Devils win numerous trophies including the Premier League and Champions League.

Phelan is also no stranger to rugby league, having spent time as the assistant and first-team manager at Hull City between 2015 and 2017.