The 19-year-old McManaman quickly became a regular first team player in the 1991-92 season, making 51 appearances in total in only his first full season – opportunities in the first team coming as a result of then manager Souness' decision to sell several ageing players; as well as when John Barnes suffered a career threatening Achilles Tendon injury. McManaman was deployed as a left or right sided forward, backing the club's new signing Dean Saunders – a move Saunders reluctantly accepted at first, having realised that Souness "had choice but to bring kids like McManaman into the team before they were properly ready." Saunders began to change his mind as the season progressed – following McManaman's ability to form an attacking partnership with him – with McManaman managing to create and score several goals across the league and in the side's run to the Quarter-Finals of the UEFA Cup, as well as in the FA Cup, eventually collecting a FA Cup winner's medal. In that 1992 FA Cup Final where Liverpool triumphed 2–0 against Sunderland, McManaman was also named the man of the match having set up the winner for Michael Thomas despite being the youngest player on the pitch. McManaman's performances saw him described by Ian Rush as the most promising young player at Liverpool at the time.