Manchester United ana'a ɗaya daga cikin manyan kulob ɗin ƙwallon ƙafa mafi sani a duniya, tare da magoya baya da ke bazu cikin kowane ƙauye. Amma a wajen yankunan Arewa Maso Yammacin Ingila, babu ƙasa da ta goyi bayan — kuma ta ba da gudummawa ga — kulob ɗin kamar Ailan.
A arewa da kudu na iyaka, tasirin Ailan ya zama wani ɓangare na ainihin Old Trafford. Huɗu daga cikin fitattun 'yan wasan 15 na Manchester United waɗanda suka fi kowa bayyana su 'yan Ailan ne. Marubuci na biyar mafi yawan zura wa a tarihin kulob ɗin Bature ne. Shugabanni uku. Kuma 'yan wasa biyu da ake ɗaukarsu a matsayin fitattun da suka taɓa sawa rigar: Roy Keane da George Best.
Yadda alaƙar ta fara
Ƙaura daga Ailan zuwa Biritaniya ta ƙaru a lokacin Babban Yunwa da fitowar Juyin Masana'antu, Manchester ta zama ɗaya daga cikin biranen da suka karɓi mafi yawan ƙaura. Ma'aikata 'yan Ailan sun taimaka wajen gina hanyar sadarwa ta birni — kuma wasu daga cikin ma'aikatan jirgin ƙasa sun kasance a cikin waɗanda suka kafa Newton Heath na asali a shekara ta 1878.
Sa'ad da kulob ɗin ya kusa rufe saboda matsalar kudi bayan shekaru 24, wani ƙungiyar masu zuba jari suka cetonsa tare da sake masa suna Manchester United, ko da yake «Manchester Celtic» ma an ba da shawara. Ɗan wasan Ailan na farko a hukumance shi ne Mickey Hamill, wanda ya zo daga Belfast Celtic da yanzu ya ɓace, kafin Patrick O'Connell — wata jaruma ta ƙwallon ƙafa da ba a gane ta yadda ya kamata ba — ya biyo baya.
Sir Matt Busby da zamanin zinari na Ailan
Kulob ɗin da muke sani a yau an haife shi ne da gaske ran da Sir Matt Busby ya shiga ƙofar Old Trafford. Kyaftin ɗinsa na farko ɗan Ailan ne: Johnny Carey ɗan Dublin, wanda ya ci gaba da buga ƙwallon ƙafa wa United a lokacin Yaƙin Duniya na Biyu yayin da a mamaki yake aiki a Sojin Biritaniya. Carey ya ɗaga FA Cup a Wembley a shekarar 1948, kyautar farko ta babba a zamanin Busby.
Matasa sun zo daga baya a sifar shahararrun Busby Babes, waɗanda suka lashe kambun gasar sau biyu a jere kuma suka zama kulob ɗin Ingila na farko da ya shiga Kofin Turai. Kamfen ɗin Turai na kakar 1957-58 ya fara a Dublin, inda Shamrock Rovers — kulob ɗin Ailan na farko a gasar — suka sha ƙashi 6-0 ga United a Dalymount Park.
Liam «Billy» Whelan, ɗaya daga cikin fitattun 'yan Ailan a ƙungiyar, ya zura kwallaye biyu a garinsa na haihuwa daren nan. Watanni kadan bayan haka, bala'in Munich ya ƙwace ransa, tare da abokan wasansa bakwai da fasinjoji 15 ƙarin. Dublin ta tsaya cak a jana'izarsa. Wannan shi ne lokacin da Manchester United ya zama «ƙungiyar Ailan». Harry Gregg daga Derry, wanda ya tsira daga bala'in kuma ya cece mutane daga guguwar jirgin, ya ƙara ƙarfafa wannan alaƙar.
Shekarun ɗaukaka da sauransu
United ya tashi daga tokar Munich karkashin jagorancin Busby. An sami kofin FA Cup a shekara ta 1963, Noel Cantwell daga Cork ya hau matakan Wembley, tare da almajirin Johnny Giles da ɗan Dublin Tony Dunne, wanda ya kafa rikodin Ailan na wasanni 535 a rigar ja. Billy Behan, gwanin gano hazaka, ya gano 'yan wasa uku, yayin da Bob Bishop yake gano hazaka arewa da iyaka, musamman George Best kansa.
A shekarar 1968, United ya lashe Kofin Turai na farko a tarihinsa. Best ya zama ɗan Ailan ɗaya tilo da ya lashe Ballon d'Or. Ƙungiyar a wasan karshe ta ƙunshi manyan masu tsaron gefe 'yan Ailan Tony Dunne da Shay Brennan. Frank O'Farrell ɗan Cork ya gaji Busby, kuma 'yan wasa kamar Frank Stapleton, Paul McGrath, da Norman Whiteside — wanda ya zura kwallo mai ban mamaki da ta kawo nasara kan Everton a wasan karshe na FA Cup 1985 — sun ci gaba da al'adar Ailan.
Issowar Sir Alex Ferguson a shekara ta 1986 ya canza tarihin ƙwallon ƙafa. Denis Irwin da Roy Keane, dukkansu 'yan Cork, sun kasance ginshiƙan nasarori. Irwin yana cikin fitattun mafi yawan kakarori 10, yayin da Keane ya kasance karfin ƙasa a bayan ɗaukaka ta shekarun 1990, musamman a wasan da aka nuna wajen Juventus a zagaye na farko na gasar UEFA Champions League 1999.
John O'Shea da Jonny Evans su ne 'yan Ailan na ƙarshe da suka ba da gudummawa mai ma'ana ga nasarorin kulob ɗin, Evans ya dawo ba zato ba tsammani a shekarar 2023. A yau, Ailan na ci gaba da zama ƙasar waje da ta fi kowa da masu tikiti na kakar wasa a Old Trafford — 1,616 — kusan sau biyu na Norway tare da 837. A kowace wasa, 'yan Ailan sun wakilci aƙalla kashi 2 na taron mutane sama da 74,000.
Idan annabcin da ya ce Manchester United yana bukatar ɗan wasan Ailan don samun gaske nasara ya yi gaskiya — kuma duk nasarori 18 na Busby da Ferguson sun ɗan cike da koren launi — Troy Parrott na iya zama mafi kyawun caji, sai dai idan JJ Gabriel mai hazaka mai yawa, wanda mahaifinsa Joe O'Cearuill ya taɓa buga wa ƙungiyar ƙasa ta Ailan, ma ya yanke shawarar wakiltar Ailan.
