 He started his career at Tottenham Hotspur, making his first team debut at the age of 17 years and 6 days, before moving to Coventry City in 1983.In 1981, he was loaned out to the Swedish team GAIS, who in that time played in the Swedish second division.At Coventry, his impressive tally of 52 goals in just over 100 appearances (including a hat-trick in Coventry's famous 4-0 league win over Liverpool at Highfield Road in December 1983) earned him a high-profile transfer to Manchester United in January 1986.