The former youth coach looked after the Red Devils' famous crop of youngsters including David Beckham, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs
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SIR ALEX FERGUSON and Class of '92 members paid their respects to legendary Manchester United coach Eric Harrison at his funeral in Halifax yesterday.
Harrison passed away in his sleep aged 81 on February 13 after battling dementia since 2014.
Harrison spent 27 years at Old Trafford and was instrumental in the development of one of the best crops of young English players ever seen, known as the Class of '92.
Its members, including Gary Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt - as well as Ferguson - were among those who headed to Halifax Minster to mourn the loss of the legendary coach.
Former United manager Ron Atkinson, who hired Harrison from Everton in June 1981, also turned up at his funeral.
And Mark Hughes - who made Harrison his assistant manager while coaching Wales - was also seen among the guests.
Brian Kidd, Gordon Taylor, Joe Royle, Simon Grayson also joined the mourners.
Neville led the tributes on Instagram this morning.
He wrote: "Today is the funeral of this great man. Your own success in life is dependant on many things.
"However the people you are surrounded by and the guidance and example they set for you to follow are critical.
"At the age of 16 I was fortunate enough to join Manchester United full time. I was young , naive and in the hands of the coach.
"It’s difficult to put into words what Eric did for me that would do it justice.
"He never let up from the minute we walked in to the minute we moved up.
"He grounded us everyday. He made me understand the importance of consistency and reliability."
Meanwhile, on the day Harrison died, Ferguson described him as "one of the greatest coaches of our time".
He said: "Eric's contribution to football and not just at Man Utd was incredible.
"When I came as manager I was lucky enough to have Eric on the staff as head of youth development, so I got to see the work he did and not just with the Class of 92 but with all the young players.
"He built character and determination in those young players and prepared them for the future. He was a teacher, gave these players a path, a choice.
"He only did that through his own hard work and sacrifice. He was one of the greatest coaches of our time."
Beckham posted a picture of the Class of 92 and wrote: "He was always watching and always with us everytime we played, I can still hear him telling me NO MORE HOLLYWOOD PASSES.
"I can still see him as we played on The Cliff training ground looking down on us either with a proud smile or a loud bang of his fist on the window knowing any minute he would be on his way down to probably advise me in the most polite way to stop playing those passes.
"More importantly he made us understand how to work hard and respect each other and not just on the pitch. We won't forget the life lessons he gave us.
"Eric we love you and owe you everything. Gary, Phil, Ryan, Paul, Nicky and David."
The Class of '92 - or Fergie's Fledgings as they were initially called - famously won the Premier League title in the 1995/96 season, proving the likes of Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen wrong.
Hansen said during that season: "You'll never win anything with kids."
But this crop of youngsters then went on to complete the greatest achievement in English football - winning the Treble in 1999 - with Harrison being awarded an MBE for his role in the success in December 2017.
