There's always that one goalkeeper that thinks they could do a solid job outfield, and in this day and age they probably could.

The likes of Ederson and Alisson are exceptional with their feet, but back in the day the goalkeeping position was a lot more conventional. But that didn't stop Fabien Barthez claiming that he could put in a shift on the wing for Manchester United, and his persistence paid off.

Barthez won two Premier League titles while playing between the sticks for United, but after hassling Sir Alex Ferguson to play him outfield he was was finally given the opportunity. Thankfully for Fergie he didn't show up any of this natural outfield players, but it remains one of the more bizarre moments from Barthez's career.

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Back in July 2001, United played against Team Singapore in a friendly at the National Stadium in Kallang, and the Red Devils were heavily beating the hosts as expected. United led 7-1 after goals from Ole Gunnar Solskajer, Dwight Yorke, Phil Neville, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy put them into a commanding lead.

But with the game drawing to a close, Ferguson made one of the more outlandish substitutions in his 26-year United career, as Barthez was brought on to play left-wing. Ferguson was never the man to take any nonsense, which speaks volumes as to just how insistent Barthez must have been about getting a chance outfield.

Ferguson made his feelings clear after the full-time whistle, as he revealed: "He's been pestering me for ages to let him do that. I just thank God he did not score because we never would have got him back in goal.

Barthez played for 10 minutes on the left-wing for Man Utd
Barthez played for 10 minutes on the left-wing for Man Utd

"He's very capable with the ball, no doubt about that. It was just a bit of fun for Fabien to give him that game because he has been going on about playing out."

And Barthez continued to back himself as he didn't even like being called a goalkeeper. "Calling me a goalkeeper is not enough because I do like to be involved in the game as much as possible, I'm a player," Barthez once said.

It was a lively 10-minute spell for Barthez, who even nutmegged an opposition player during his brief cameo. The game ended 8-1 as Ryan Giggs added another goal late on.

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