Fans of Manchester United in the late 90's will remember Premier League titles, European glory, and the likes of Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane , and David Beckham . Few though, will recall a player called Alex Notman. The Scot was actually on the club's books during the 1999 Treble season, but was limited to just one senior appearance before a cruel injury blow curtailed his professional career. His path to Old Trafford would later be mirrored by Darren Fletcher , with both based in the Midlothian town of Dalkeith and being recommended by scout Andy Perry. But whilst Fletcher went on to enjoy 12 trophy-laden years with United, Notman had just one single cameo substitute role against Tottenham in a League Cup tie. Notman came on for the final 20 minutes at White Hart Lane, replacing Nicky Butt as United ended up losing 3-1 in the quarter-final. It would be his only first-team outing before an ill-fated loan spell at Aberdeen. Man Utd transfer news LIVE: Maguire deal collapses, Amrabat bid 'imminent', Glazers set to sell Erik ten Hag's immediate reaction after Harry Maguire's Man Utd exit collapses “The move probably took me a step back, to be honest," he told The Times . "I’ve not got a bad word to say about Paul Hegarty (manager), but we just didn’t get on. In my very first game, he brought me on against Dundee United at Tannadice with 10 minutes to go when we were 3-0 down, and the only other appearance I made was against Celtic when I came off the bench in a 5-1 defeat." Banished to the reserves, Notman did flourish for the second-string with the Dons before an interview with the papers was misconstrued, with the player quoted as saying he'd rather play for United's reserves than Aberdeen. He returned to Manchester before a more fruitful loan stint at Sheffield United paved the way for a permanent move to Norwich . But a promising three years at Carrow Road came crashing down after a freak incident against Ipswich: “I was in the wall and it was my job to charge down the free kick,” he said. “Mark Venus pinged one, I’ve jumped, it’s caught the bottom of my studs and my ankle has gone. I thought it was a two or three-weeker. That’s not how it worked out. I tried to get back and got diagnosed with a couple of things which didn’t turn out to be the case. “I then went to see an ankle specialist in Sheffield who said it was my ligaments on the inside, they’d worn away and needed to be reattached. They got me in the next day to go under the knife, but when they went to reattach the ligaments, they had completely worn away. The surgeon told the club I wouldn’t be able to train every day and play Tuesday and Saturday, the rigorous way you need to in those leagues." United were beaten 3-1 in the League Cup clash Notman in action during a pre-season friendly ( Image: Getty Images) HAVE YOUR SAY! Do Manchester United still need more signings? Comment below . At only 23, he tried to fight his way back, but to no avail. Accepting his professional career was over, stints at a string of non-league clubs followed before the Scotland Under-21 international walked away for the game for good in 2010, whilst at Fromartime United. And yet Notman is anything but bitter when it comes to football, despite believing he would have been capped at senior level by Scotland had it not been for his injury woe: "When I was told my career was over, of course I was devastated, but I’ve got a strong family and I’m quite a strong person myself so I was quite lucky in that respect," he added. “There are millions of people who would love to do what I did but never get the chance. You’ve got to look at it both ways. I’m not going to lie, it was difficult, but I accepted it.” Now working as a project engineer in the oil and gas industry, Notman has flourished: “I basically produce test packs for guys to use when looking for leaks in pipes offshore,” he explained. “It takes me all over the place. Back in Norwich at the moment. Been doing it for 15 years; been in Spain, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan. It’s been a bit of a change, but I enjoy it. Not as much as I enjoyed football, but I’ve been lucky. It’s given me a good life.” Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.