The Manchester United fans in the Football Transfer Tavern have enjoyed quite the run of form over the last decade…
Obviously the club has fallen on harder times recently, with United fans at the Tavern noticeably quieter now than they were when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager.
The legendary Scot won 13 Premier League titles with the Red Devils, the most of any club in the modern era. Of course, Fergie had some help along the way; Manchester United has always been home to some of the best players in the world.
Giggs, Schmeichel, Beckham; you could write a list as long as your arm and still miss a few names off. Naming United’s greatest XI is a challenge that has been done to death by Tavern punters, so we thought we’d add a little caveat by only naming players who have represented United in the last decade.
This means we are only naming those who were playing for United from the start of the 2006/07 players; there will be no Cantona or Stam here.
So here is the greatest Man Utd XI of the last ten years…
EDWIN VAN DER SAR
It was lucky in a way that this list is only from 2006, or this would have been a very tough decision.
It says something about how good the Dutchman was that he could arguably usurp Peter Schmeichel’s place in the United goal.
After the Big Dane left, the position of Red Devils goalkeeper appeared to be cursed with inconsistent players like Fabian Barthez. It’s not even worth mentioning the likes of Massimo Taibi.
Fergie found his man in the 2005/06 season however, with Van Der Sar bringing calm to the United backline and helping them to four league titles.
GARY NEVILLE
When going through the names for this list, we couldn’t believe how long Gary Neville had played.
It is testament to the right-back’s longevity that he would be more at home in an XI from the previous decade than this one, after making his debut in the 1993/94 season.
It seems a long time since United have had a reliable right-back, which makes it surprising to learn Neville only retired in 2011.
Always a reliable team-player who put defence first, Neville was invaluable to United and fully earns his place on the list.
NEMANJA VIDIC
Another key player in United’s side, Nemanja Vidic would hold his own in any XI.
The Serb actually struggled for a few months after joining in January 2006, but the next season he drastically improved and developed into one of the league’s greatest ever defenders.
Ridiculously strong and brave enough to throw himself into any tackle, Vidic often seemed like he was stopping entire teams on his own.
He went on to form one of the all-time Premiership defensive pairings with the next man on our list.
RIO FERDINAND
You can’t have Vidic on this list with Rio Ferdinand.
Incredibly quick and composed on the ball, Ferdinand was the perfect foil to cover in behind when the Serb went on a raid to regain the ball.
On the few occasions Vidic would be unsuccessful, Ferdinand would gracefully clear up any danger in the box.
Ferdinand signed for United in 2002 and was the most expensive British player and defender of all time. Looking back at his six league titles, it seems to have been money well-spent.
PATRICE EVRA
Like Vidic, Evra joined in the January transfer window of the 2006 season and initially struggled.
Again like the Serb, Evra stepped his performances up and became a key member of Fergie’s side for years.
As good going forward as he was defensively solid, the Frenchman contributed all over the pitch and managed 6 goals and 17 assists for United.
Even though he declined slightly towards the end of his United career, the Red Devils arguably made a mistake letting Evra go as early as they did with the Frenchman thriving for Juventus in the admittedly slower-paced Serie A.
PARK JI-SUNG
Antonio Valencia’s name was pencilled in for this position before one of the punters threw Park Ji-Sung’s name into the mix.
While he was often a bit-part player, the Korean was always trusted by Fergie to play in big games due to his discipline, work-rate and versatility.
It also helped that Park had a knack for scoring decisive goals, particularly against the league’s bigger teams and in Europe.
Because of his overall contribution to United’s success, he just edges out his former-teammate to the right-midfield role.
PAUL SCHOLES
Arguably the greatest midfielder of his generation, Paul Scholes would be a shoe-in for any side.
It has been well-documented that respected figures in the game like Zinedine Zidane and Andres Iniesta idolized the playmaker; praise doesn’t come much better than that.
With his pinpoint passing, incredible vision and rocket of a shot, Scholes was probably the best ever technical player the nation has ever produced. Perhaps if England managers built their sides around him rather than shifting him around to accommodate others, both parties would have had more international success.
As it was, Scholes retired prematurely from international football. England’s loss proved to be United’s gain.
MICHAEL CARRICK
When talking about great modern Premier League players, it is surprising Michael Carrick’s name rarely comes up in the conversation.
Often overshadowed by players like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, Carrick is more decorated than both with five titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and a Champions League.
Composed when breaking up attacks and able to pick a pass as well as anyone in the United side, Carrick has often been unfairly criticized for passing sideways and contributing little.
Fergie realised how important Carrick was to the Red Devils, reinstating the reinvigorated midfielder into the side in the 2012/13 season after he had become something of a bit-part player.
RYAN GIGGS
While it can be argued who Manchester United’s best ever player was, there can be no question who was their most important.
Ryan Giggs was a key player in all 13 of Fergie’s title triumphs, winning five in the last decade alone.
Even though he was starting to lose his pace around the 2006/07 mark, Giggs reinvented himself as a playmaker and famously took up yoga to prolong his career.
Scorer of over 100 goals for the Red Devils, Giggs place on this list is as nailed as they come.
WAYNE ROONEY
While his form has come into question over the last season or two, it’s difficult to dispute Rooney’s importance to United over the last ten seasons.
Until recently, the former-Everton striker was a key component of every United side, and was even one of the top performers during David Moyes’ ill-fated tenure at Old Trafford.
Managing over 25 goals in both the 2009/10 and 2011/12 seasons, it’s a surprise Rooney has never won the Golden Boot. It’s just unfortunate for United fans that Rooney seemed to lose his attacking instinct and regress while playing in a deeper role.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
While not a striker in the traditional sense, Ronaldo has been given the spot up top due to being United’s biggest attacking threat for a number of seasons.
Starting off as a wiry winger, Ronaldo had noticeably beefed up at the start of the 2006/07 season, months after his infamous wink after Wayne Rooney had been sent off against him in the World Cup.
Everyone knew it would take something special to win the fans back over, and the Portuguese managed it by scoring 66 goals in the next three seasons and turning in a series of match-winning performances.
He then moved to Real Madrid for a world-record fee and has gone from strength to strength since.
