Making his Manchester United breakthrough against Torpedo Moscow as a 17-year-old, it took Gary Neville a bit of time to find his feet in what was an ultra-competitive sporting environment.
At the beginning of a season that would end in Alex Ferguson's side winning the maiden Premier League trophy, Neville, speaking on the Quickly Kevin, Will He Score? podcast, revealed how it took him a little bit of time to convince other United players that he was ready for the step up.
Neville's chief tormentor? Peter Schmeichel, of course.
"When I first got into the first team, Peter Schmeichel was brutal with me," Neville stated.
"He didn't fancy me as a player that much. Peter Schmeichel was the goalkeeper and that back four of Bruce, Pallister, Parker and Irwin was legendary.
"Paul Parker picked up an injury and I started getting in at right-back, and obviously as a young player, you're not perfect, you make a couple of mistakes and he just absolutely battered me in training, daily, about my defending, my crossing.
Berating a player who would go on to win as many as eight Premier League titles with United, Schmeichel would miss no opportunity to allow Gary Neville know how he felt.
"He used to do this crossing practice after the game and he used to stand on the penalty spot and catch it and say, 'That's shit', Neville explained.
"He regularly just did that and he was actually just being really tough and horrible with me.
"It did affect me but to be honest, you have to just come through it and that's part of it because imagine if you crack when you go out on to the pitch with the fans booing you away from home."
One among many 'big' characters in the Manchester United team at the time, Gary Neville did manage to overcome Schmeichel's pronounced concerns with aplomb.
