Recently, this column told how, having missed out on signing Alan Shearer, Sir Alex Ferguson bolstered his attacking options at Manchester United by bringing in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Shearer, who was leaving Blackburn Rovers after four years at Ewood Park, held extensive discussions with Ferguson over a move to Old Trafford, but the lure of joining his boyhood club - Newcastle United - proved too strong for the England international, who arrived on Tyneside for a world-record £15m fee.

By chance, Shearer's first official outing in a black and white-striped shirt came 18 years ago today against the club that he had rejected as the two teams met at Wembley in the Charity Shield.

During the previous season, United had overhauled a 12-point deficit to topple Kevin Keegan's Newcastle in the Premier League title race and they then backed that up by also winning the FA Cup courtesy of a late strike by Eric Cantona against arch rivals Liverpool. As for the Magpies, they finished second.

However, while there had been very little to separate the two sides over the course of that campaign, they were streets apart on a sunny afternoon in North West London.

The champions broke the deadlock in the 24th minute through Cantona who, having seen an earlier effort denied by Newcastle goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek, slipped a low shot inside the Czech's near post. Then, six minutes later, it was 2-0 as David Beckham's drilled cross was diverted into net by Nicky Butt's diving header.

Both sides created chances after the restart, but it wasn't until the 85th minute that United made sure of the outcome. Cantona released Beckham, who got the better of the Newcastle offside trap with a run from deep. That left the winger with only Srnicek to beat, which he did with a lofted shot from 25 yards out.

The scoring was then completed three minutes from time by midfielder Roy Keane, who powered a shot from the edge of the area into the roof of the Newcastle net.

MAN UNITED: Schmeichel; P Neville, Pallister, May, Irwin (G Neville); Beckham, Butt (Poborsky), Keane, Giggs; Scholes (Cruyff), Cantona

NEWCASTLE: Srnicek; Watson, Peacock, Albert, Beresford; Beardsley (Asprilla), Batty, Lee, Ginola (Gillespie); Ferdinand, Shearer