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Brian McClair went virtually undetectable during a legends' charity match thanks to the stark difference in his appearance. The Manchester United icon, 61, was in the dugout for Celtic in their clash against the Red Devils in September, with former players taking to the field in their bid to raise money for a good cause. McClair , who now sports long white hair with a bushy beard, admitted that fellow ex-United stars including Dimitar Berbatov and Louis Saha failed to recognise him when heading into the Celtic dressing room. The former Scotland international said: "I was going between each dressing room and just listening to people chatting. It was nice to see ex-United kit man Albert Morgan, who was telling me what was happening with them. It was good to see people I shared rooms with as well. "I had all the Celtic kit on and saw Louis Saha. He just looked up and said, ‘F****** hell, I didn’t recognise you.’ I said that was me tidied up and making an effort." McClair, who hosts his Life with Brian podcast , added: "Then I was outside and Berbatov was there and I said, ‘Hello, you all right?’ "He just looked at me kind of strangely but then I went back in again and he came over. He said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t recognise you, I thought it might have been you but thought no, no, it couldn’t possibly be you.’ It was nice to be recognised anyway even under this cunning disguise." It isn't the first time the former striker has gone viral due to his current look as back in 2023, he made the rounds on social media after being photographed with a fan at a Manchester pub. Discussing his drastic transformation from the short hair and clean-shaven look he displayed during his playing days, McClair previously told The Telegraph : "It started in lockdown. I just thought: let things grow, see where we end up. Then before Christmas I decided to have a tidy up, but I never got round to it. "I was out one night and next thing I see I’m trending on social media as ‘old man down the pub’. I’ve had the trim since. You’ll be disappointed to hear I look a wee bit less as though I’ve been cast away on a desert island." The attention the four-time Premier League winner received upon fans' realisation of his new-look appearance was "bizarre," he admitted. He added: "I think I’m normal, others think I’m weird. I tend to notice bizarre things, bizarre things come out of my head." The charity match saw McClair manage ex-Celts such as Joe Hart, Artur Boruc and Georgios Samaras, while United boss Bryan Robson featured the likes of Michael Carrick, Nicky Butt and Wes Brown. It was the Scottish side that ended up victorious via a penalty shootout after the game ended 2-2 in normal time. The triumph was the second time in a row that the Celtics legends beat their English counterparts . Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
