Neville had made just one previous senior appearance for the Reds, in an FA Cup tie versus Wrexham, and was given little indication that he would be play in the Premier League fixture against Manchester City at Maine Road.
Instead, Alex Ferguson told him to accompany the squad to help the kit-man, Norman Davies. But then, at the pre-match meal, Phil was staggered to hear his name read out in the starting XI.
Few debuts come in such prestigious fixtures, but they are not as rare as you might think.
Phil's tale got us thinking about other famous names that have been introduced to the United limelight in one of our biggest domestic fixtures.