Blanchflower - nicknamed "Twiggy" by his teammates - is the younger brother of Tottenham's Danny, and made his United debut as a wing-half in the 1951-52 season.
His versatility is a great strength. Before the current batch of young attackers came onto the scene at Old Trafford, he often played as a creative inside forward, but Matt Busby chose to play him at centre-half, recognising his aerial power and intelligent positional sense. Blanchflower underlined his versatility by spending much of last season's F.A. Cup final in goal, after Ray Wood had left the field injured.
Blanchflower also possesses a good touch with either foot, though he is occasionally exposed by his lack of pace. He has 12 international caps for Northern Ireland.
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