Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes and Man United's other famous Welshmen Daniel James is about to join

The exciting 21-year-old will become the 45^th Welshman to pull on the famous red jersey. And, as you can see from our list of previous Dragons to represent the club, plenty have scorched a path to success at Old Trafford.

RYAN GIGGS

United legend, enough said. If James can make a fraction of the impact his current national team boss did at United, he’ll be thrilled. The honour of most appearances by any United player ever goes to Giggs, who fittingly broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s record when appearing as a substitute as United beat Chelsea on penalties to win their third European Cup in the Moscow drizzle in May, 2008.

Giggs’ 963 club appearances is now 205 more than Charlton and will take some beating, as will his phenomenal haul of trophies. Of the club’s 20 top-flight domestic league titles, Giggs has lifted 13, as well as four FA Cups, three League Cups and two Champions League crowns – he won a total of 34 overall team awards during a glittering 24-year one-club career, making him one of the most decorated footballers in history.

He bagged 168 goals for the club at a strike rate of 0.17 goals per game and holds a slew of personal records, including being the player with the most assists in Premier League history (271). He netted 12 goals in 66 Wales caps.

MARK HUGHES

The ninth highest scorer in United’s history, Hughes scored only five less than Giggs during two glorious spells at Old Trafford. He popped off for a two-season stint with behemoths Barcelona and Bayern Munich before returning to United in 1988, becoming an integral part of the early dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson during the 90s.

A tenacious striker with a tremendous work ethic as well as a knack for scoring stupendous and important goals, the Wrexham-born wrecking ball found the net 163 times during 467 outings.

In his first season back Hughes won the PFA Player of the Year, the first United player to earn the accolade. He went on to score both goals in the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup final against Barcelona in Rotterdam, a result that sparked the Ferguson era into life.

He scored in the 1994 FA Cup final – a third title, and also won two league titles as well as one League Cup.

A scorer of 16 goals in 72 Wales caps, Hughes was one of three high-profile players to depart Old Trafford in the summer of 1995 – alongside Andrei Kanchelskis and Paul Ince – leaving for Chelsea as Ferguson ushered in the Class of 92.

CLAYTON BLACKMORE

Nowhere near as famous or flamboyant as his two more illustrious compatriots, but Giggs, Hughes, Billy Meredith and Ray Bennion are the only four Welshmen to play more games for the Red Devils than Blackmore’s 245.

The tough-tackling attacking full-back was ahead of his time in terms of what is required of the modern full-back. His forays forward down the left flank were a feature of his decade-long stint at the club from 1984-94 and he was renowned for his fierce long-range striking ability as well being an adept set-piece taker, comfortable on either foot.

He scored 26 goals in his Reds career – a ratio of a goal roughly around every nine games. Not too shabby. He was part of the side that ended a 26-year top-flight title drought as United won the inaugural Premier League crown in 1992/93, and also won one FA Cup and the 1991 European Cup Winners’ Cup. Left United at 30 but continued to play lower league football until retiring, aged 46, in 2010.

BILLY MEREDITH

United’s third highest appearance making Welshman, running out a total of 335 times in the red of the Red Devils. Chirk-born Meredith was considered one of the early superstars of football and enjoyed a decorated career.

A livewire forward known for his dribbling, passing, crossing and shooting, Meredith notched 36 goals for United.

He was part of United’s maiden English top-flight title-winning squad in 1907/08, while he helped the club lift the first of 12 FA Cups the following year.

He had two stints at rivals Manchester City at the beginning and end of his career, also captaining the side from the blue half of Manchester to their 1904 FA Cup win (City’s first major trophy).

He moved to United in 1907 following a ban for bribery and spent 15 years at Old Trafford though he missed four seasons due to World War I.

He returned to City in 1921, aged 47, making him the oldest ever player for City, United and Wales – for whom he won 48 caps.

He helped to set up the Players’ Union, which was a fore-runner of the Professional Footballers’ Association.

MICKEY THOMAS

Perhaps known as much for an 18-month stint in prison during the early 1990’s for his part in a counterfeit currency scam, Thomas was a tricky, jet-heeled winger when he was snapped up by United from Wrexham in the summer of 1978.

He shone brightly but all too briefly in the spotlight, scoring 15 goals in 110 appearances over three seasons at United, with whom he was a 1979 FA Cup runner-up.

But the shy boy from the small north Wales village of Mochdre struggled to cope with his new-found fame and left for Everton in 1981. He also featured for Chelsea and Brighton before returning to boyhood club Wrexham in 1991, where, aged 37, he famously scored a stunning free-kick in a shock January 1992 2-1 FA Cup defeat of Arsenal – one of the competition’s most famous ever results.

TOMMY BAMFORD

Another man who made his name at Wales’ third-most famous club, forward Bamford remains Wrexham’s all-time top league scorer with 174, as well as most goals in a season (44) and most hat-tricks (16).

He swapped the Red Dragons for the Red Devils in 1934 where he added a respectable 57 goals in 109 appearances in the more famous red shirt. That included a 14-goal haul in 23 games during the 1937/38 campaign as United won the Football League Second Division title. He left for Swansea after four seasons, but the outbreak of World War II halted and ultimately ended his career.