The best 11 players to feature under Sir Alex during his time in charge at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed a long career at the helm of Manchester United, and as well as winning everything in sight he also had some of the world’s finest players under his command. Below, is the ultimate starting XI of players that he garner great success with during his tenure there.
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GK: Peter Schmeichel
The big Dane was a fearsome competitor whose sense of timing in one on one situations made him virtually unbeatable. A brilliant shot stopper and an excellent commander of his penalty area. Won multiple titles and a Champions League, he edges out Edwin Van Der Saar thanks to his part in making United the Premier League’s first truly iconic team.
RB: Gary Neville
A one-club man in the truest sense. Neville never looked like relinquishing his right-back slot from the moment he got it, and was far more influential in the side than most gave him credit for. A part of the Class of 92, he is now a firm United legend and has since completed the most dramatic overturn of public opinion in the football world. Robbie Savage should take note!
CB: Jaap Stam
The Dutchman may not have been at United for too long, but his influence and supreme reading of the game made the club almost unbeatable at one point. He was let go too soon and even Alex Ferguson admitted that he made one of the biggest mistakes of his career by letting him go.
CB: Rio Ferdinand
For all his faults, Ferdinand was undoubtedly one of the finest defenders to ever grace the Premier League, and he did most of his best work whilst at Old Trafford. Having spent so long with the club he has confirmed his place as a club legend and his personality will be sorely missed around the training ground this season.
LB: Denis Irwin
The Irish international played over 500 games for United and not one of them was a poor performance. Ferguson freely admitted after Irwin retired that he would have been the first name added to any sort of list like this, and that’s a big compliment from the man regarded as the best club manager ever. Irwin patrolled the left with authority and had a rocket of a free-kick on him. He will go down as one of the true greats.
LW: Ryan Giggs
Was there anyone else that would have commanded the left wing spot? Giggs is still at United as Louis Van Gaal’s assistant manager, and will likely take over from the Dutchman when the time comes. His image flying down the wings for over 20 years will not be forgotten quickly and he will continue to be a big attraction in the coming years.
CM: Roy Keane
Unquestionably the biggest warrior world football has ever seen. During his seven Premier League title wins there was only one man that could come close to standing up to him – Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira, and even the he mostly ended up on his backside. Keane would have to be the captain of this side, too.
CM: Paul Scholes
‘The Ginger Prince’ is the most technically proficient midfielder United have had in a long time and his influence was so great that once he retried for the first time he was forced to come back and give it one more crack, and he hadn’t aged a day.
RW: Cristiano Ronaldo
Like Stam, Ronaldo may not have been at the club for as long as some, but any United fan that had the privilege of seeing him line up in a red shirt will never forget him. The most exciting player the club had since Giggs first emerged, he could be in line to make a sensational return to the side at some point over the next 12 months.
ST: Eric Cantona
King Eric seemed like a rather innocuous signing at first, but he actually became one of Sir Alex’s most important. From giving the club’s image an edge to banging them in for fun, they stylish Frenchman also stayed to short a time, but like the others his memory won’t be going anywhere quickly.
ST: Ruud Van Nisteltrooy
United had to wait a year before finally getting their hands on the prolific Dutch international after he suffered a knee injury in training. However, once he was fit again he wasted no time in becoming one of the Premier League’s most prolific poachers.
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