Quality littered throughout every position.
We were surprised this morning to see Alex Ferguson name only four world-class players from his time as Manchester United manager.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Eric Cantona were the chosen quartet, but we reckon he’s being unkind to a few other great names.
Here is JOE’s alternative world-class XI from Fergie’s tenure at Old Trafford…
Goalkeeper – Peter Schmeichel
Signed from Brondby in 1991 as a relative unknown, Peter Schmeichel was the outstanding goalkeeper in English football throughout the 1990s – a decade United totally dominated.
It was no coincidence that the Great Dane tended goal during this time. There were so many match-winning performances that it’s hard to pick one, but this sure stands out…
https://youtu.be/PQ2ph26-Kp4
Clip via mg9106
Defender – Denis Irwin
It feels like only in hindsight that we all realise how brilliant the Irish international was in his prime. Irwin was brought in from Oldham and made the left side of the defence his own.
A very solid defender, fast, good technique, brilliant going forward and a set-piece specialist, Irwin would be worth at least £30m these days. Fergie knew he struck gold with the Corkman.
Clip via Alister 2014
Defender – Rio Ferdinand
The ball-playing centre-half actually did cost £30m… back in 2002. That’s how coveted the Leeds defender was after an outstanding World Cup with England. On his day, Rio was the best.
Ferdinand defended effortlessly against most opposition, had the touch and poise of a gifted holding midfielder and tended to pop up with an important goal on the odd occasion.
Defender – Nemanja Vidic
Vidic, along with Patrice Evra, had a famously poor start to his Old Trafford career. It took about six months, but once the Serb settled there was no tougher centre-back in the Premier League.
We could of course sum up his defensive attributes… or we could just remind you that United fans used to sing his name to the tune of the Jaws theme during matches.
Clip via Trafford Fifteen
Defender – Gary Neville
The Class of ’92 graduate is nearly just as famous for his outstanding punditry nowadays, so it’s easy to forget that the right-back was a very accomplished defender for a decade and a half.
Loathed by opposing fans (especially Liverpool) Neville had it all defensively and was a fine crosser of the ball. He also had a terrific understanding on the right hand side with this chap…
Midfielder – David Beckham
No real left foot, not much pace, no obvious dribbling ability, not a great tackler, average heading ability, but unquestionably world-class because of that ridiculous and unrivalled right foot.
For such talent, few worked harder than Beckham, who went from being hated to loved in Britain due to sheer force of will. He also scored a mightily impressive 85 goals for United.
https://youtu.be/M1gg20z85lY
Clip via David Payne
Midfielder – Roy Keane
The Mayfield man may be the most glaring omission from Fergie’s famed fab four. It’s hard to quantify Keane’s influence on Manchester United during his 12 (and a half) years at the club.
Taking over as captain after Eric Cantona’s retirement in 1997, Keane then recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury to become the best box-to-box midfielder in the world.
Midfielder – Paul Ince
Probably the least obvious choice in this hypothetical 11, but it’s easy to forget how good Paul Ince was. A falling out with Fergie and a spell at Liverpool diminished his Old Trafford status.
Look beyond that though and what you had was a dominant, tough tackling, goalscoring and skillful midfielder who had an imperious partnership with his Irish teammate in the middle.
https://youtu.be/27UPw7vOieM
Clip via Classic Manchester United
Striker – Wayne Rooney
Rooney has been strangely maligned throughout a lot of his career, especially over the last five years or so. But when you think of his longevity and study his stats, you’re looking at a gem.
The England captain and record goalscorer is probably a victim of his own success, because when the prodigy burst onto the scene he regularly produced the ridiculous…
Clip via – Bruce Rioch
Striker – Carlos Tevez
The only man to make the list who was never a permanent Manchester United player, Tevez still managed to have a huge impact in his two years at Old Trafford with his tenacious displays.
The Argentine played a massive role in the 2008 Champions League Final win. Work-rate, guile, dribbling ability, clever and concise finishing with a big game mentality. Brilliant.
Clip via – Jordan Street
Striker – Ruud van Nistelrooy
Signed from PSV for £19m in 2001 just a year after suffering an extremely serious knee injury, Alex Ferguson took a huge gamble on the Dutch striker. The risk paid off and then some.
Van Nistelrooy flew out of the traps in Manchester, initially scoring all types of goals before eventually perfecting the fox-in-the-box role. For three years, there was no better finisher than Ruud.
So there you have it, folks. Let us know if we’ve left out any other world-class United wonder from the Fergie era by tweeting us here.
