HE’S gone from the “fraud” of Manchester United’s 1999 Treble winners to the lord of his hometown club.
And the forgotten midfielder of arguably Alex Ferguson’s greatest squad is now hoping to build a dynasty of his own.
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The ex-England Under-21 star was at Old Trafford for three years.
That’s one more than the time it’s taken him to lift Scarborough Athletic into the sixth-tier.
And although he might be out of mind from United’s golden era, he could be remembered forever at his part-time club if their rise continues.
The former West Brom stalwart, 44, insists the dream of reaching the EFLis achievable – 16 years after the original Scarborough club was liquidated.
Step forward, Jonathan Greening.
He once admitted feeling like a “fraud” for picking up a Champions League medal when United completed the treble with a last-gasp turnaround triumph over Bayern Munich.
It’s a different world, of course, in National League North, where Scarborough have surpassed expectations by sitting fifth following promotion via the Northern Premier League play-offs.
And in a way that change is emphasised by Greening swapping the clean-cut look of his Prem days for a beard and casual attire.
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He’s also just as ambitious amid Scarborough’s developing years as he was during United’s peak period.
He told the Mirror: “When I got the opportunity to take over here, I simply couldn’t turn it down.
“My mum, dad, brothers and sisters still live in the town and it just felt right.
“The club is trying to build something special, with its roots bedded in the community.
“We’re fan-owned, so we can’t spend massive amounts of money, but we have a tight group of players with a good spirit and the momentum of being promoted has spilled over into this season.
“It’s not an ego trip – since retiring as a player in 2014, I’ve worked at Nottingham Forest with the Under-21s, York City with the Under-18s and at the i2i academy in York for more than six years.”
But despite his pedigree, he added: “Sometimes the players don’t listen to me, but I’m trying to give something back to football because the game has been good to me.
“I had a great career, lived the dream and now I’m managing my home-town club, so why should I complain?”
