The First 11...Manchester United Players

The best eleven that have played for Manchester United since the birth of the Premier League.

It's not easy to compare players from different era's, even when they have appeared for the same team. United fans have seen some of the best players in the world put on the famous red jersey in the 17 seasons that the Premier League has been running and it is this depth of talent that makes selecting a best 11 particularly difficult. The following selection feature in a 4-4-2 formation and are based on longevity, performance (particularly in big games), awards and medals.

Goalkeeper - Peter Schmeichel
The great Dane was the best goalkeeper in Premiership history. Period. In his eight years with United he was a virtual ever-present and in his 398 games he won 5 league titles, 3 FA cups as well as captaining United in their finest moment when they defeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final to complete their 1999 treble. The ultimate intimidating presence between the posts, he single-handedly won numerous games for the Reds and was a three-time UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year.

Right Back - Gary Neville
A very consistent performer ever since breaking into the team, Neville has accrued well over 500 games for the club and has lead them as captain since 2005. He has embodied the determination, commitment and defiance of the team over the years and has been rewarded with 8 League titles, 3 FA cups, 2 Champions League trophies and a Club World cup in addition to being voted to the PFA team of the year on 4 occasions.

Left Back - Dennis Irwin
Not a straight forward choice; Patrice Evra has developed into one of the best full backs in the league but has only been at the club since 2006 and began his United career slowly. Irwin however, has more than double Evra's appearances (368), 33 goals (including a number of important penalties) and won 15 major medals with United, including 7 League titles and the Champions League. Even into his mid-thirties, Irwin held down a first team place and was one of the key contributors during United's rise to success in the early nineties.

Centre Back - Rio Ferdinand
When United spent the best part of £30 million on the talented defender, many scoffed at the transfer fee. Seven years later and it is clear that every penny was well spent, despite missing time in his first two seasons through injury and suspension. Rio was another to start slowly in his United career but since settling, his combination of pace, intelligence, positioning and leadership have marshalled one of the best defences in Europe. Ferdinand is a 4-time Premier League winner, a Champions League winner and been voted to the PFA Team of the Year on four occasions with United (five in total).

Centre Back - Gary Pallister
The partner to Ferdinand at centre half is another position of contention; Jaap Stam was arguably the best centre back in the world in his last year at the club and as imposing a defender as United may have ever had. One man who would argue that is Nemanja Vidic, a success story ever since he arrived at the club and a key figure in the teams recent succession of League titles and Champions League victories. The man Vidic has been most compared to is also in the running; Steve Bruce became club captain after Bryan Robson's departure and played a large part in the club's accomplishments until his departure in 1996. For all the former candidates offered (and it was plenty) it was Pallister who contributed most to United. The defender made 437 appearances for the Reds and won every major domestic trophy in his nine years with the club. His pace, size and aerial ability simply outmatched the majority of opposing forwards but it was his judgement and footballing ability that set him apart. Pallister may well have been ahead of his time as a footballer and his partnership with Bruce will always be the measuring stick to which following central defensive pairings will be compared. Vidic is likely to surpass Pallister in a couple of years but at the moment of writing, it is the latter's endurance that has him pencilled in here.

Right Wing - Cristiano Ronaldo
Few clubs can match the legacy of the position and the famous No.7 shirt of Manchester United. Even in recent history, United have been spoilt with the quality and iconic status of their outside rights. Andrei Kanchelskis and David Beckham would waltz their way into most team's best Premiership XI's but one man dribbles into this. Cristiano Ronaldo, he of the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, the Ballon D'or Award and 118 goals in just 291 games, is one of the most gifted and dangerous players on the planet. Ronaldo scored 8 goals (including one in the final) in driving United to European victory last year and has scored 66 league goals in the past three seasons. As Man Utd have rediscovered their dominance in the past three years, Ronaldo has shown his best form and is as vital a player as there is in the current squad. Beckham deserves special mention; a product of the United youth system, Beckham clocked up almost 400 appearances, scored 85 goals (many amongst the most memorable of recent times, although if anyone could match his prowess at free kicks, it may be Ronaldo) and became the most famous footballer in the world during his stint at the club.

Left Wing - Ryan Giggs
An automatic selection. Giggs has played, and scored, in every Premier League season, has won 30 major trophies since breaking into the first team (including 11 League Titles, 4 FA cups and 2 Champions Leagues - Perhaps 3 pretty soon) and has featured in 8 PFA Teams of the Year. He now owns the record for most appearances for the club with 805, has scored 148 goals (including one against Arsenal in the last FA cup semi-final replay http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1r3bGm9YzQ remember that?) and has been an integral member of just about everything Man Utd have achieved in the last twenty years. The current PFA player of the year, there really aren't enough words or stats to describe the importance of Ryan Giggs to the 'United Era' in English football.

Central Midfield - Roy Keane
At the time of signing, Keane became the most expensive player in British football, a move that proved to be another savvy piece of business by Sir Alex Ferguson. Keane was the fire, the heart and the conviction of the United team from almost the moment he began his career at Old Trafford. and captained the side for eight years (winning more trophies than any other captain in club history). He played 444 games for the club and it seemed that every time he scored it was on a vital occasion (Juventus away in the 99 CL was a highlight - for both Keane and the team he lead). Roy Keane was described by Ferguson as 'the best player I've ever worked with' and for all his disciplinary woes, he was probably the most important member of the squad during the late nineties, won 7 Premier League titles, the 1999 Champions League, despite being suspended for the final, and was the PFA Player's Player of the Year in 2000.

Central Midfield - Paul Scholes
Another player from the United youth academy, Scholes was one of the finest technical footballers England has produced. An accurate passer with great vision and a knack for arriving in the box to convert a chance, Scholes has never looked out of place in his 604 appearances (142 goals) and continues to be an essential part of the United machine. 23 Major trophies featuring 9 League titles and 2 Champions Leagues (along with twice making the PFA Team of the Year) have punctuated the career of a player who has never self promoted, and never needed to.

Centre Forward - Eric Cantona
'King Eric' defined the strut and swagger (and occasionally the petulance) of Man U during his five seasons with the club and, although he made only 185 appearances for the club, has as extensive a legacy as any player has had with the team. A fan's favourite, an enigmatic captain, an actor, a poet, a martial artist, Cantona enriched the game during his stay in this country and galvanised the players he played with. His iconic status was enhanced by his errors but there can be no doubting his talent and his 82 goals for the club were all laced with quality and drama. Cantona was the recipient of the PFA Player's Player of the Year in 1994 and the Football Writer's Footballer of the Year in 1996, won 4 League Titles and 2 FA cups.

Centre Forward - Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy was one of the finest goal scorers in the club's history, scoring 150 goals in just 219 games. He twice had eight-game scoring streaks for United and scored an astonishing 38 goals in merely 47 European games (three times finishing as top scorer in the Champions League) during his five seasons for the club. For all his personal achievements, including the PFA Player of the Year in 2002, United suffered some of their most disappointing seasons in this period and Van Nistelrooy only won one Premier League Title and one FA cup. Van Nistelrooy edges out the likes of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Andrew Cole, Mark Hughes, Dwight Yorke and Wayne Rooney, although Rooney is another who will be in this team in the near future if his current form persists.

And for my dear friend Eddie, the worst XI of United's Premiership years:

GK - Massimo Taibi - Even worse than Mark Bosnich. And Roy Carrol. And Raimond Van der Gouw. And Andy Goram. I miss Fabien Barthez.
RB - David May - 115 appearances in 9 years tells a story. Lets leave it at that.
LB - Ronnie Walwork - Not his natural position, left back, but im not sure it would matter. Was banned for life for assaulting a referee in Belgium during a loan spell (later reduced in fairness)
CB - William Prunier - Played twice and actually wasnt bad in his debut. Nobody remembers that.
CB - Laurent Blanc - Signed as a replacement for Jaap Stam...run that past me again?
RW - Luke Chadwick - Hung around for a while. Somehow.
LW - Jesper Blomqvist - His final appearance for United was in the Champions League Final against Bayern. He was replaced by Teddy Sheringham and we all know what happened after that. Blomqvist never played again.
CM - Eric Djemba Djemba - So good they named him twice? Once was too many.
CM - Kleberson - The boy won a World cup. And here was me thinking that there were only seven wonders in the world...
CF - Diego Forlan - Lot of money to spend on someone who was essentially a mascot for a couple of years.
CF - David Bellion - A poor man's Steve Marlet perhaps? No, he wasn't very good either.