Getting called up to the England squad for the first time must be equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking – and for Manchester United icon Gary Pallister, the experience left him struggling to eat...
The former defender – who won four Premier League titles with United – earned 22 caps for the Three Lions, receiving his first call-up in 1988.
And, as he tells FourFourTwo in the latest issue available to buy, he was rather overcome with awe at the company he was keeping while with the national team.
"When I sat down for dinner in the England camp for the first time, with Bryan Robson, Glenn Hoddle, Peter Reid and Peter Shilton on my table, I could hardly hold my knife and fork," Pallister recalls. "These were guys I’d only really seen on telly. Little did I know then that Robbo would go on to become one of my best mates in football – but even when he barely knew me, he was great."
"Before my debut," he continues, "[Robson] said, 'I know you’re nervous, but just keep looking for me; if I’m asking for the ball, just pass it'. He shepherded me through that game and was a calming influence, like he was throughout my career. I work with him every matchday at Old Trafford now in one of the sponsor’s lounges and we’re always taking the piss out of each other. I can hardly believe the journey we’ve been on together since 1988."
