Manchester United (Red Devils) | Special Thread
Manchester United (Red Devils) | Special Thread
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TT's Fergie tribute: Best 25 players part 1
Thursday 3rd November 2011 18:39
Ronaldo: Fergie's best player, says Watson
TEAMtalk's Ian Watson identifies and ranks the best 25 players of Sir Alex Ferguson's quarter of a century at Manchester United.
Mediocrity was the norm when Ferguson walked through the Old Trafford door 25 years ago, but since then, he has built some of the best squads English football has ever seen, containing within them some of the continent's most gifted players.
Ahead of Ferguson's anniversary on Sunday, Ian attempts to identify and rank the 25 best players the United boss has managed.
10. David Beckham
Ferguson may not have appreciated the baggage that came with Beckham, but the manager tolerated the sideshow for much longer than he would have done for less effective players than the former England captain.
Beckham made the right-midfield spot his own in 1995; his magic wand of a right foot seeing to it that the raw speed of fans-favourite Andrei Kanchelskis was quickly forgotten.
The LA Galaxy star made himself a United legend in eight trophy-ladden years, half-way through which came the Treble which Beckham played a major role in achieving.
9. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy's arrival at Old Trafford was delayed a year by a serious knee injury, but the Dutchman proved to be worth the wait and great value for his £19million British-record transfer fee.
The Dutchman scored 23 goals in 32 Premier League games in his first season before winning the Golden Boot as United reclaimed the title in 2003. Van Nistelrooy eventually notched 150 goals for the Red Devils before being sold - somewhat prematurely in the opinion of some United fans - to Real Madrid, despite scoring 21 league goals in his final season, during which the striker had reportedly fallen out with both Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo.
8. Wayne Rooney
Despite the frightening possibility that Rooney's best years may well remain ahead of him, the striker's contribution in eight years so far already makes him one of Ferguson's best signings.
Rooney threatens to be a victim of his own versatility but during his best season, when the England star carried the goalscoring burden for United in 09-10, the Scouser scored 26 goals in 32 Premier League games and won the PFA and FWA Player-of-the-Year awards.
Rooney has often tested Ferguson's man-management skills, never more so than last season when the boss received a very pubic transfer request from his star striker. Within 48 hours, Ferguson had turned what appeared to be a perilous situation on its head when instead of leaving Old Trafford, Rooney signed a new deal to commit himself to the club until 2015.
7. Bryan Robson
Through much of the mid-to-late 1980s, United were woefully average. Without Captain Marvel, they would have been simply woeful.
Robson this week credited Ferguson's drive and desire as the reason behind his longevity. But Robson himself was one of very few players who, perhaps with Roy Keane, displayed a level of determination and courage that could match his manager's.
There was nothing Robson could not do. The master of both boxes and everywhere in between, it is scary to think what he could have achieved had injuries not blighted his career. The former England captain's fitness problems would have finished off lesser players, but Robson dragged United through the late 1980s to FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup glory before sticking around long enough to finally help end the club's 26-year wait for the title in 1993.
6. Paul Scholes
Xavi Hernandez, you would think, is a pretty good judge of a midfielder:
"In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen - the most complete - is Scholes. He is a spectacular player who has everything."
Indeed he did. A shy asthmatic, who defied a serious eye condition through the later years of his career, Scholes could land a ball dead onto a vacant golf tee from 60 yards, such was his brilliantly-accurate long passing.
Scholes had no problem with the shorter stuff too, and remains one of the few English midfielders capable of playing one or two moves ahead of his opponent.
Xavi also said of Scholes: "If he had been Spanish, then maybe he would have been valued more."
Probably. He would not have been stuck out on the left wing, that is for certain.
5. Ryan Giggs
Manchester United 19, Liverpool 18, Arsenal 13, Ryan Giggs 12.
As well as becoming the most decorated player in English history, Giggs has smashed Sir Bobby Charlton's appearances record in two decades at Old Trafford during which if you stood still, you got left behind.
Like Ferguson, Giggs has adapted over the years; hardly surprising given that the Welshman has shared all but four years and five months of the manager's quarter of a century.
The 37-year-old was a flying winger in the early 1990s when he burst onto the scene, and now as an deeper-lying playmaker, he refuses to leave it.
4. Peter Schmeichel
As I said when selecting Schmeichel in Ferguson's best-ever XI, the Dane was not the most technically-sound goalkeeper. But instead of adapting his technique, he changed the game.
Schmeichel was a pioneer in that he was the first goalkeeper to be looked upon as the first line of attack as well as the last line of defence. His unique method of swallowing up man and ball in a one-on-one has also become commonplace in the modern game.
But aside from his ability to keep the ball out of the United net, Schmeichel's incredible drive and desire brought out the best from those around him - except on one occasion in early 1994 when Ferguson sacked his stopper after an inquest into two dropped points at Anfield became over-heated.
Luckily for United, the pair put their differences aside and won five Premier League titles, two Doubles and, finally, a Treble.
3. Eric Cantona
After coming so close but ultimately failing to winning the title in 1991-92, United's hangover continued into the next season. That is, until Ferguson pulled off one of the most shocking transfer deals of all time.
After denying United the previous season, Cantona was undoubtedly the catalyst for Fergie's first title which arrived six months after the Frenchman. He was also the key figure during the following campaign when United won their first ever league and cup Double.
But it was not until 1995, after his eight-month ban and the departure of the likes of Ince, Hughes and Kanchelskis, that Cantona proved his real worth to his manager.
Ferguson's second double was remarkable in that it was won by a squad full of youngsters, all of whom looked up to Cantona in awe, respect and perhaps fear. The captain returned from his suspension to win point after point for United on their way to the title, before his brilliant winning goal lit up a dour FA Cup final against Liverpool's Spice Boys.
Cantona is still looked upon as a God at Old Trafford for what he gave to the club before his early retirement in 1997, when another Premier League title was secured but European glory again evaded the devastated skipper.
Ferguson and United would eventually go on to win the Champions League two years after Cantona had swapped the Theatre of Dreams for the theatre, but Cantona's influence on the eventual Treble winners is underestimated by no one in or around Old Trafford.
2. Roy Keane
If Robson dragged United to their status at the top of the English game, Keane pushed them on to conquer Europe.
Ferguson described Keane as "the best midfield player in the world of his generation" and it's tough to argue. He may have clashed with almost every friend and foe in the game, but it was his addiction to winning that drove Keane to be the leader he was. That, and his only fear: failure.
In an era when too many of his fellow pros were happy to go with the flow, Keane simply could not abide the acceptance of anything but the very best from those around him.
The Irishman may have been the only man who set higher standards than Ferguson and it was ultimately that strength that became his weakness in the end at United. Frankly, given how similar he and Ferguson are, it is a wonder the pair lasted as long as they did together.
Put simply, Ferguson found Keane when he needed another Robson. Filling Keane's void, though, has been an impossible job for the manager who's achieved everything else.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford for £12million in 2003 as a precocious teenager and left six years later for £80million as the best player in the world.
Sadly for Ronaldo and Real Madrid, the 26-year-old's stunning form - 100 goals in 105 Real games - has been left in the shade only by the ridiculousness of Lionel Messi. But for three years before departing Old Trafford, the Portuguese was peerless.
After a slow and at times frustrating start to life in England, Ronaldo blossomed half-way through his time at United during the 2006-07 - not coincidently the same season that the Red Devils won their first Premier League title in four years.
It got even better the following season as Ronaldo amassed a stunning 42 goals in 49 appearances as he helped United to a Premier League and Champions League double.
Ronaldo was untouchable that year, a fact acknowledged when he became the first United player to win the Ballon d'Or since the holy trinity of Best, Law and Charlton.
Ferguson has had some world-class talent on his hands over the last quarter of a century. But only Ronaldo has been the very best on the planet.
Thursday 3rd November 2011 18:39
Ronaldo: Fergie's best player, says Watson
TEAMtalk's Ian Watson identifies and ranks the best 25 players of Sir Alex Ferguson's quarter of a century at Manchester United.
Mediocrity was the norm when Ferguson walked through the Old Trafford door 25 years ago, but since then, he has built some of the best squads English football has ever seen, containing within them some of the continent's most gifted players.
Ahead of Ferguson's anniversary on Sunday, Ian attempts to identify and rank the 25 best players the United boss has managed.
10. David Beckham
Ferguson may not have appreciated the baggage that came with Beckham, but the manager tolerated the sideshow for much longer than he would have done for less effective players than the former England captain.
Beckham made the right-midfield spot his own in 1995; his magic wand of a right foot seeing to it that the raw speed of fans-favourite Andrei Kanchelskis was quickly forgotten.
The LA Galaxy star made himself a United legend in eight trophy-ladden years, half-way through which came the Treble which Beckham played a major role in achieving.
9. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy's arrival at Old Trafford was delayed a year by a serious knee injury, but the Dutchman proved to be worth the wait and great value for his £19million British-record transfer fee.
The Dutchman scored 23 goals in 32 Premier League games in his first season before winning the Golden Boot as United reclaimed the title in 2003. Van Nistelrooy eventually notched 150 goals for the Red Devils before being sold - somewhat prematurely in the opinion of some United fans - to Real Madrid, despite scoring 21 league goals in his final season, during which the striker had reportedly fallen out with both Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo.
8. Wayne Rooney
Despite the frightening possibility that Rooney's best years may well remain ahead of him, the striker's contribution in eight years so far already makes him one of Ferguson's best signings.
Rooney threatens to be a victim of his own versatility but during his best season, when the England star carried the goalscoring burden for United in 09-10, the Scouser scored 26 goals in 32 Premier League games and won the PFA and FWA Player-of-the-Year awards.
Rooney has often tested Ferguson's man-management skills, never more so than last season when the boss received a very pubic transfer request from his star striker. Within 48 hours, Ferguson had turned what appeared to be a perilous situation on its head when instead of leaving Old Trafford, Rooney signed a new deal to commit himself to the club until 2015.
7. Bryan Robson
Through much of the mid-to-late 1980s, United were woefully average. Without Captain Marvel, they would have been simply woeful.
Robson this week credited Ferguson's drive and desire as the reason behind his longevity. But Robson himself was one of very few players who, perhaps with Roy Keane, displayed a level of determination and courage that could match his manager's.
There was nothing Robson could not do. The master of both boxes and everywhere in between, it is scary to think what he could have achieved had injuries not blighted his career. The former England captain's fitness problems would have finished off lesser players, but Robson dragged United through the late 1980s to FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup glory before sticking around long enough to finally help end the club's 26-year wait for the title in 1993.
6. Paul Scholes
Xavi Hernandez, you would think, is a pretty good judge of a midfielder:
"In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen - the most complete - is Scholes. He is a spectacular player who has everything."
Indeed he did. A shy asthmatic, who defied a serious eye condition through the later years of his career, Scholes could land a ball dead onto a vacant golf tee from 60 yards, such was his brilliantly-accurate long passing.
Scholes had no problem with the shorter stuff too, and remains one of the few English midfielders capable of playing one or two moves ahead of his opponent.
Xavi also said of Scholes: "If he had been Spanish, then maybe he would have been valued more."
Probably. He would not have been stuck out on the left wing, that is for certain.
5. Ryan Giggs
Manchester United 19, Liverpool 18, Arsenal 13, Ryan Giggs 12.
As well as becoming the most decorated player in English history, Giggs has smashed Sir Bobby Charlton's appearances record in two decades at Old Trafford during which if you stood still, you got left behind.
Like Ferguson, Giggs has adapted over the years; hardly surprising given that the Welshman has shared all but four years and five months of the manager's quarter of a century.
The 37-year-old was a flying winger in the early 1990s when he burst onto the scene, and now as an deeper-lying playmaker, he refuses to leave it.
4. Peter Schmeichel
As I said when selecting Schmeichel in Ferguson's best-ever XI, the Dane was not the most technically-sound goalkeeper. But instead of adapting his technique, he changed the game.
Schmeichel was a pioneer in that he was the first goalkeeper to be looked upon as the first line of attack as well as the last line of defence. His unique method of swallowing up man and ball in a one-on-one has also become commonplace in the modern game.
But aside from his ability to keep the ball out of the United net, Schmeichel's incredible drive and desire brought out the best from those around him - except on one occasion in early 1994 when Ferguson sacked his stopper after an inquest into two dropped points at Anfield became over-heated.
Luckily for United, the pair put their differences aside and won five Premier League titles, two Doubles and, finally, a Treble.
3. Eric Cantona
After coming so close but ultimately failing to winning the title in 1991-92, United's hangover continued into the next season. That is, until Ferguson pulled off one of the most shocking transfer deals of all time.
After denying United the previous season, Cantona was undoubtedly the catalyst for Fergie's first title which arrived six months after the Frenchman. He was also the key figure during the following campaign when United won their first ever league and cup Double.
But it was not until 1995, after his eight-month ban and the departure of the likes of Ince, Hughes and Kanchelskis, that Cantona proved his real worth to his manager.
Ferguson's second double was remarkable in that it was won by a squad full of youngsters, all of whom looked up to Cantona in awe, respect and perhaps fear. The captain returned from his suspension to win point after point for United on their way to the title, before his brilliant winning goal lit up a dour FA Cup final against Liverpool's Spice Boys.
Cantona is still looked upon as a God at Old Trafford for what he gave to the club before his early retirement in 1997, when another Premier League title was secured but European glory again evaded the devastated skipper.
Ferguson and United would eventually go on to win the Champions League two years after Cantona had swapped the Theatre of Dreams for the theatre, but Cantona's influence on the eventual Treble winners is underestimated by no one in or around Old Trafford.
2. Roy Keane
If Robson dragged United to their status at the top of the English game, Keane pushed them on to conquer Europe.
Ferguson described Keane as "the best midfield player in the world of his generation" and it's tough to argue. He may have clashed with almost every friend and foe in the game, but it was his addiction to winning that drove Keane to be the leader he was. That, and his only fear: failure.
In an era when too many of his fellow pros were happy to go with the flow, Keane simply could not abide the acceptance of anything but the very best from those around him.
The Irishman may have been the only man who set higher standards than Ferguson and it was ultimately that strength that became his weakness in the end at United. Frankly, given how similar he and Ferguson are, it is a wonder the pair lasted as long as they did together.
Put simply, Ferguson found Keane when he needed another Robson. Filling Keane's void, though, has been an impossible job for the manager who's achieved everything else.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford for £12million in 2003 as a precocious teenager and left six years later for £80million as the best player in the world.
Sadly for Ronaldo and Real Madrid, the 26-year-old's stunning form - 100 goals in 105 Real games - has been left in the shade only by the ridiculousness of Lionel Messi. But for three years before departing Old Trafford, the Portuguese was peerless.
After a slow and at times frustrating start to life in England, Ronaldo blossomed half-way through his time at United during the 2006-07 - not coincidently the same season that the Red Devils won their first Premier League title in four years.
It got even better the following season as Ronaldo amassed a stunning 42 goals in 49 appearances as he helped United to a Premier League and Champions League double.
Ronaldo was untouchable that year, a fact acknowledged when he became the first United player to win the Ballon d'Or since the holy trinity of Best, Law and Charlton.
Ferguson has had some world-class talent on his hands over the last quarter of a century. But only Ronaldo has been the very best on the planet.
Belo
JF-Expert Member
- Jun 11, 2007
- 12,913
- 10,263
TT's Fergie tribute: Best 25 players part 2
11. Rio Ferdinand
Injuries mean Ferdinand is no longer the player Ferguson broke the United and English transfer records to sign in 2002, but the ex-captain of club and country has formed a defensive partnership with Nemanja Vidic that provided the foundation for United to win their four most recent Premier League titles and a European Cup.
12. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Solskjaer was simply a manager's dream - a model professional that, despite his unwavering faith in his own goalscoring talents, was perfectly willing to accept his role within a squad.
The Norwegian is already a title-winning coach in his homeland at 38, something Ferguson puts down to Solskjaer's desire to study and read the game, often from the comfort of the substitutes bench.
Solskjaer came off that bench 150 times; never more effectively than when he arrived late on scene at the Nou Camp to toe-poke the injury-time winner that won United the European Cup and, with it, the Treble in 1999.
13. Jaap Stam
Ferguson acknowledges Stam as one of his biggest mistakes - not the £10.6million purchase of the centre-back, but the Dutchman's premature sale.
After winning the Treble in his first season and becoming a cult-hero at Old Trafford - where they still sing his name - Stam was thought by Ferguson to be on the wane after an Achilles injury . The content of his autobiography may not have helped, but Ferguson mistakenly believed tackling statistics backed up his theory that the 29-year-old was past his best.
Stam retired six years later, after proving Ferguson wrong having excelled at the heart of the defences of Lazio, AC Milan and Ajax.
14. Gary Neville
As Neville admits, his 19-year career at United was the result of hard graft rather than natural talent. But the right-back worked his way all the way to the top and won almost every trophy available in club football.
Few other players have earned as much of Ferguson's trust, with the manager labelling his one-time skipper 'the best England right-back of his generation'.
15. Edwin van der Sar
Ferguson went through five number ones in an effort to fill Peter Schmeichel's gloves, a task that was only completed when the then 34-year-old Dutchman arrived from Fulham in 2005.
Van der Sar looked to be winding down his career at Craven Cottage, but if he was initially seen as another stop-gap at Old Trafford, the former Juventus and Ajax 'keeper proved everyone wrong by enjoying six solid seasons at United, winning the Premier League title in four of them and saving the crucial penalty from Nicolas Anelka in the final shoot-out to win the European Cup in 2008.
Schmeichel may have been brilliantly unorthodox, but van der Sar proved to be spectacularly steady and reliable, traits Ferguson craved after six years of goalkeeping unpredictability.
16. Denis Irwin
Consistency personified, Irwin was at home on either side of the United back four and won everything except the UEFA Cup during 12 years at Old Trafford.
Irwin was also the catalyst for Eric Cantona's arrival at Old Trafford. Leeds United had called to enquire about the availability of the Irish defender, whom the Yorkshiremen had released six years previously, before Ferguson switched the topic of conversation to the Frenchman.
Irwin may not have hogged the headlines like Cantona, a situation which clearly suited the full-back, but his presence right the way throughout the most successful period in the club's history is obviously no coincidence.
17. Steve Bruce
Bruce was signed by Ferguson in 1987 and the centre-back went on to become a mainstay of the United defence for the next nine years and has since been labelled the best defender never to have played for England.
Bruce was not the quickest, but his positional sense, courage and leadership made him the obvious candidate to take the captain's armband off Bryan Robson.
As skipper, Bruce lifted the Premier League trophy on three occasions and chipped in with more than his fair share of goals. From centre-half, he finished the 90-91 season as joint league top-scorer and famously headed the injury-time brace against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 that went a long way towards sealing the title for United.
18. Nemanja Vidic
Vidic was Ferguson's Christmas Day present to United fans in 2005 and the no-nonsense Serbian has proved to be the gift that keeps on giving.
The Steve Bruce to Ferdinand's Gary Pallister, Vidic has been a giant amongst men at the back for United, with the Premier League title returning to Old Trafford in his first season, and every other year but one since then.
The 30-year-old is always last in line when Ferguson is looking to dish out a rest, with the manager recognising the centre-back's importance by making him club captain at the beginning of last season.
19. Gary Pallister
Dolly to Steve Bruce's Daisy (it may be the other way around, Ferguson never did specify which was which), Pallister was bought by Ferguson from Middlesbrough in what was the biggest-ever deal between two British clubs.
The classy defender's first season brought Ferguson's first trophy - the FA Cup - with Pallister and Bruce providing the rock-solid foundation for United's title-winning team in 1992-93.
With injuries beginning to take their toll, Pallister was eventually sold back to Middlesbrough in 1997 for £2.5 million - £200,000 more than Ferguson paid nine years earlier.
20. Mark Hughes
Hughes enjoyed two spells at United, with a two-year period spent on the continent with Barcelona and Bayern Munich separating nine seasons at Old Trafford.
Ferguson brought the Welshman back to Britain in a club-record £1.8million deal before the 1988-89 season during which he was voted PFA Player of the Year, despite the Red Devils finishing in the bottom half of Division One.
Hughes was United's top scorer over the next two seasons and scored crucial goals in each final as Ferguson won his first two trophies - the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup.
Sparky may not have been quite as prolific, but Cantona arrived to take away some of the goalscoring burden during Ferguson's first title-winning season. He also scored a vital last-gasp equaliser against Oldham in an FA Cup semi-final before going on to notch in the final when the Red Devils sealed their first ever Double.
21. Dwight Yorke
Yorke only stayed four years at Old Trafford, but 31 goals in 50 appearances during the 1998-99 season Treble season ensured his place in United's history. Not only was Yorke's personal haul crucial, but the former Aston Villa forward also brought the best out of Andy Cole.
While that remained the case, Ferguson looked the other way on numerous occasions as Yorke lived up to his party-animal reputation. When the goals dried up, however, Ferguson's patience quickly wore out and the T&T striker was moved on to Blackburn.
22. Andy Cole
Cole arrived at Old Trafford in one of the most surprising transfers in Premier League history, and despite a tough first two years at United, Cole eventually settled after the departure of Eric Cantona and formed with Dwight Yorke one of the most potent strike partnerships in domestic and European football.
23. Brian McClair
McClair was one of Ferguson's first signings for United in 1987 and the Scot stuck around for 11 years, primarily as a striker before moving back into midfield during the later years of his time at Old Trafford.
McClair became the first United player in 20 years to score over 20 league goals - the last was George Best - when he bagged 24 in 1987-88, and the former Celtic forward played a major role in the FA, League and European Cup Winners' Cup victories of the early 1990s, as well as the club's first Premier League title in 1993.
24. Paul Ince
Ince may have been a 'big-time Charlie' in Ferguson's eyes, but as a defensive shield, there were few better around during the early 90s.
Bought from West Ham in 1989, Ince had numerous different partners in the centre of United's midfield, until Keane arrived to form a fearsome partnership in 1993.
With the emergence of Nicky Butt, though, Ferguson was willing to listen to offers for the self-appointed 'Guvnor', who was sold in 1995 to Inter Milan for £7.5million.
25. Patrice Evra
Evra's form since his farcical 2010 World Cup may well have reminded us of more of the player hooked at half-time on his debut against City in 2006, rather than the left-back who went on to become one of the world's best for a three-year period up to boarding France's plane to South Africa last year. But the 30-year-old is still looked upon as a leader by Ferguson, who views the £5.5million he paid to Monaco in 2006 as one the bargains of his reign
11. Rio Ferdinand
Injuries mean Ferdinand is no longer the player Ferguson broke the United and English transfer records to sign in 2002, but the ex-captain of club and country has formed a defensive partnership with Nemanja Vidic that provided the foundation for United to win their four most recent Premier League titles and a European Cup.
12. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Solskjaer was simply a manager's dream - a model professional that, despite his unwavering faith in his own goalscoring talents, was perfectly willing to accept his role within a squad.
The Norwegian is already a title-winning coach in his homeland at 38, something Ferguson puts down to Solskjaer's desire to study and read the game, often from the comfort of the substitutes bench.
Solskjaer came off that bench 150 times; never more effectively than when he arrived late on scene at the Nou Camp to toe-poke the injury-time winner that won United the European Cup and, with it, the Treble in 1999.
13. Jaap Stam
Ferguson acknowledges Stam as one of his biggest mistakes - not the £10.6million purchase of the centre-back, but the Dutchman's premature sale.
After winning the Treble in his first season and becoming a cult-hero at Old Trafford - where they still sing his name - Stam was thought by Ferguson to be on the wane after an Achilles injury . The content of his autobiography may not have helped, but Ferguson mistakenly believed tackling statistics backed up his theory that the 29-year-old was past his best.
Stam retired six years later, after proving Ferguson wrong having excelled at the heart of the defences of Lazio, AC Milan and Ajax.
14. Gary Neville
As Neville admits, his 19-year career at United was the result of hard graft rather than natural talent. But the right-back worked his way all the way to the top and won almost every trophy available in club football.
Few other players have earned as much of Ferguson's trust, with the manager labelling his one-time skipper 'the best England right-back of his generation'.
15. Edwin van der Sar
Ferguson went through five number ones in an effort to fill Peter Schmeichel's gloves, a task that was only completed when the then 34-year-old Dutchman arrived from Fulham in 2005.
Van der Sar looked to be winding down his career at Craven Cottage, but if he was initially seen as another stop-gap at Old Trafford, the former Juventus and Ajax 'keeper proved everyone wrong by enjoying six solid seasons at United, winning the Premier League title in four of them and saving the crucial penalty from Nicolas Anelka in the final shoot-out to win the European Cup in 2008.
Schmeichel may have been brilliantly unorthodox, but van der Sar proved to be spectacularly steady and reliable, traits Ferguson craved after six years of goalkeeping unpredictability.
16. Denis Irwin
Consistency personified, Irwin was at home on either side of the United back four and won everything except the UEFA Cup during 12 years at Old Trafford.
Irwin was also the catalyst for Eric Cantona's arrival at Old Trafford. Leeds United had called to enquire about the availability of the Irish defender, whom the Yorkshiremen had released six years previously, before Ferguson switched the topic of conversation to the Frenchman.
Irwin may not have hogged the headlines like Cantona, a situation which clearly suited the full-back, but his presence right the way throughout the most successful period in the club's history is obviously no coincidence.
17. Steve Bruce
Bruce was signed by Ferguson in 1987 and the centre-back went on to become a mainstay of the United defence for the next nine years and has since been labelled the best defender never to have played for England.
Bruce was not the quickest, but his positional sense, courage and leadership made him the obvious candidate to take the captain's armband off Bryan Robson.
As skipper, Bruce lifted the Premier League trophy on three occasions and chipped in with more than his fair share of goals. From centre-half, he finished the 90-91 season as joint league top-scorer and famously headed the injury-time brace against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 that went a long way towards sealing the title for United.
18. Nemanja Vidic
Vidic was Ferguson's Christmas Day present to United fans in 2005 and the no-nonsense Serbian has proved to be the gift that keeps on giving.
The Steve Bruce to Ferdinand's Gary Pallister, Vidic has been a giant amongst men at the back for United, with the Premier League title returning to Old Trafford in his first season, and every other year but one since then.
The 30-year-old is always last in line when Ferguson is looking to dish out a rest, with the manager recognising the centre-back's importance by making him club captain at the beginning of last season.
19. Gary Pallister
Dolly to Steve Bruce's Daisy (it may be the other way around, Ferguson never did specify which was which), Pallister was bought by Ferguson from Middlesbrough in what was the biggest-ever deal between two British clubs.
The classy defender's first season brought Ferguson's first trophy - the FA Cup - with Pallister and Bruce providing the rock-solid foundation for United's title-winning team in 1992-93.
With injuries beginning to take their toll, Pallister was eventually sold back to Middlesbrough in 1997 for £2.5 million - £200,000 more than Ferguson paid nine years earlier.
20. Mark Hughes
Hughes enjoyed two spells at United, with a two-year period spent on the continent with Barcelona and Bayern Munich separating nine seasons at Old Trafford.
Ferguson brought the Welshman back to Britain in a club-record £1.8million deal before the 1988-89 season during which he was voted PFA Player of the Year, despite the Red Devils finishing in the bottom half of Division One.
Hughes was United's top scorer over the next two seasons and scored crucial goals in each final as Ferguson won his first two trophies - the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup.
Sparky may not have been quite as prolific, but Cantona arrived to take away some of the goalscoring burden during Ferguson's first title-winning season. He also scored a vital last-gasp equaliser against Oldham in an FA Cup semi-final before going on to notch in the final when the Red Devils sealed their first ever Double.
21. Dwight Yorke
Yorke only stayed four years at Old Trafford, but 31 goals in 50 appearances during the 1998-99 season Treble season ensured his place in United's history. Not only was Yorke's personal haul crucial, but the former Aston Villa forward also brought the best out of Andy Cole.
While that remained the case, Ferguson looked the other way on numerous occasions as Yorke lived up to his party-animal reputation. When the goals dried up, however, Ferguson's patience quickly wore out and the T&T striker was moved on to Blackburn.
22. Andy Cole
Cole arrived at Old Trafford in one of the most surprising transfers in Premier League history, and despite a tough first two years at United, Cole eventually settled after the departure of Eric Cantona and formed with Dwight Yorke one of the most potent strike partnerships in domestic and European football.
23. Brian McClair
McClair was one of Ferguson's first signings for United in 1987 and the Scot stuck around for 11 years, primarily as a striker before moving back into midfield during the later years of his time at Old Trafford.
McClair became the first United player in 20 years to score over 20 league goals - the last was George Best - when he bagged 24 in 1987-88, and the former Celtic forward played a major role in the FA, League and European Cup Winners' Cup victories of the early 1990s, as well as the club's first Premier League title in 1993.
24. Paul Ince
Ince may have been a 'big-time Charlie' in Ferguson's eyes, but as a defensive shield, there were few better around during the early 90s.
Bought from West Ham in 1989, Ince had numerous different partners in the centre of United's midfield, until Keane arrived to form a fearsome partnership in 1993.
With the emergence of Nicky Butt, though, Ferguson was willing to listen to offers for the self-appointed 'Guvnor', who was sold in 1995 to Inter Milan for £7.5million.
25. Patrice Evra
Evra's form since his farcical 2010 World Cup may well have reminded us of more of the player hooked at half-time on his debut against City in 2006, rather than the left-back who went on to become one of the world's best for a three-year period up to boarding France's plane to South Africa last year. But the 30-year-old is still looked upon as a leader by Ferguson, who views the £5.5million he paid to Monaco in 2006 as one the bargains of his reign
Mwana wa Kitaa
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- Jul 20, 2011
- 50
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Vp leo wajameni?
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