After a career blighted by injuries, it’s amazing that Wes Brown has managed to develop into such an outstanding defender.

Two cases of damaged knee ligaments and a broken ankle have hampered the defender to the extent that he only passed the 200-appearance mark in January 2006, eight years after making his debut. However, the sporadic nature of his first-team outings have not masked his class. Tough-tackling, strong in the air and fast on the deck, Wes is exceptionally talented.

Brown signed as a trainee in July 1996 and signed as a professional four months later. In his first full
season he picked up the Denzil Haroun Young Player of the Year award. He soon earned a first-team debut against Leeds United on 4 May 1998, and a first start against Barnsley a week later. His performances in 1998/99 caught the eye, but knee ligament injuries ahead of the 1999/00 season and at the end of the 2002/03 campaign were bookends to a broken ankle in August 2002. Many players might have been demoralised by such wretched luck, but Brown’s grit saw him return in September 2003 and complete the rest of the 2003/04 season.

In 2005/06 he finally become a linchpin in the centre of defence. His no-nonsense style