Being born in 1997, my earliest memories of watching Manchester United live or watching them on TV started from the mid 2000’s. Perhaps the earliest came from attending the 2004 FA Cup final, where United beat Millwall 3-0 (the last time we won the FA Cup) at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. My personal United XI will consist of players who wore the United shirt, roughly over the last 10 years or so. I’ll be going into depth over why I picked certain players, who possibly wouldn’t be people’s ideal pick. Some names speaks for themselves and the team is down to personal preference.
Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper: David De Gea
David De Gea edged it over club legend Edwin van der Sar for me. The Dutchman possessed great quality, so much that Sir Alex wished he had bought him when Peter Schmeichel retired in 1999. But it was the Spaniard’s 2014/15 season that was the deciding factor. I don’t think I’ve seen such a top quality season from a goalkeeper, where he is constantly winning his team games. De Gea has also pulled off possibly the best save I have ever seen. How he managed to pluck the ball out of the top corner from Juan Mata’s free-kick was beyond me.
For a goalkeeper to win Players’ Player and Fans’ Player of the Year awards for two years running, which is a position I sometimes believe that is overlooked for individual awards, is an incredible achievement. If De Gea continues is career at United and keeps up with the same standard of his recent performances, then there’s no doubt he’ll become a club legend.
As his future at Old Trafford is still in some doubt, and if he potentially leaves the club this summer, would 4 seasons, with the last 2 being top quality, be enough for De Gea to become a club legend?
Right Back: Gary Neville
Centre Back: Rio Ferdinand
Centre Back: Nemanja Vidic
Left Back: Gabriel Heinze
The Argentine only spent three seasons at Old Trafford, but had a lasting impression on many fans, including myself. Heinze joined United in June 2004 from Paris Saint-Germain, for a fee of £6.9 million and went on to play 39 games in his debut season.
His robust, tough-tackling performances landed him the Fans’ Player of the Year award for the 2004/05 season, but was unable to provide the same impact the following season, as he picked up an early injury that would rule him out of the majority of the season. This led to the arrival of future captain Patrice Evra. Perhaps what dented Heinze’s reputation amongst the Old Trafford faithful was his attempt to force through a move to rivals Liverpool, due to being second choice behind the more athletic Evra. Later on in his career, Heinze reflected on his decision-making and said he regretted the way he left United, which was reported by the Guardian’s Daniel Taylor.
“I’m impulsive and strong-willed and this has got me into trouble at times, which was the case when I left United. I took the decision and, looking back, I regret it because it meant leaving a great club and their supporters. I was aware of the rivalry [with Liverpool], I knew the risk of going from Manchester to Liverpool and what it means. I hope it doesn’t tarnish the way they [the supporters] see me and they will remember the three years I had in the team.”
After Heinze left United, Ferguson still held Heinze in high regard. “I have no issues with Gabby. He was a fantastic player for us, a warrior.” This is why I picked Heinze in my team. I love players who put in the effort and who are always up for the physical challenge. You knew what you would get with Heinze and was often reliable for important games that needed the competitive and winning mentality. It was a shame that he wasn’t able to regain the same level of athleticism as he had before picking up the injury that led to a long rehabilitation phase.
Even Roy Keane wrote in his autobiography that Heinze “was a nasty fu**er – nasty in training”, which would suggest he must have a competitive streak in him, who would never pull out of a tackle. Instead of making the switch to Liverpool, he played at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid for two seasons. He went on to play for Marsaille and Roma before retiring from the game.
Defensive Midfield: Owen Hargreaves
Perhaps this selection would be the biggest surprise amongst United and football fans, due to the injury proneness of the Canadian-born midfielder. Owen Hargreaves won multiple titles with Bayern Munich, prior to his £17 million move to Old Trafford in 2007. What I was impressed with about Hargreaves was his all-round ability, he was able to put in a strong tackle when needed, but was also creative in the way he started attacking moves. He had pace and the technical ability to either go past players or find teammates.
Born in Canada to a Welsh mother and an English father, Hargreaves was eligible to play international football for England, Wales or Canada. He represented Wales at Under 19’s, but switched nationalities when England got in contact. He represented England at Under 21’s and went on to achieve 42 international caps for the three lions and his performances during the 2006 World Cup awarded him England’s Player of the Year award.
Hargreaves played 34 games in all competitions during his debut season, helping United achieve the Premier League and Champions League double. He had a good delivery from set-pieces, and his two only goals for United came from free-kicks, one against Fulham and a winner against Arsenal, both in 2008. His versatility was also a strength, as he was often played at right-back or on the right-wing during the Champions League final against Chelsea.
However, Hargreaves would only go on to make 5 appearances for United over the course of his last three years at the club, due to major knee injuries. After consulting a specialist, Hargreaves was diagnosed with having an extreme form of tendinitis, which became “significantly worse through the injections”, he received from United’s medical staff, a quote from Guardian reporter Daniel Taylor’s interview.
Centre Midfield: Paul Scholes
Centre Midfield: Ji-Sung Park
Ji-Sung Park is remembered for his extremely high energy levels, as he would consistently help out both attack and defence until the final whistle. This style of play lead to the South Korean being labelled as a big-game player under Sir Alex Ferguson. Park was very capable and reliable in any midfield position and contributed with his fair share of goals, as he scored 27 during his seven-year United career. He won four Premier League titles, three Football League cups, and a Champions League winner’s medal, before moving to QPR and then returning to his former club PSV Eindhoven, where he retired from professional football.
The £4 million bargain signing was described by the maestro, Andrea Pirlo as one of the toughest opponents he’s ever faced in his career. The Italian wrote in his autobiography, “I Think Therefore I Play”:
“Even Ferguson, the purple-nosed manager who turned Manchester United into a fearsome battleship, couldn’t resist the temptation. He’s essentially a man without blemish, but he ruined that purity just for a moment when it came to me. A fleeting shabbiness came over the legend that night. On one of the many occasions when our paths crossed during my time at Milan, he unleashed Park Ji-sung to shadow me. The midfielder must have been the first nuclear-powered South Korean in history, in the sense that he rushed about the pitch at the speed of an electron.”
Right Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
Centre Forward: Javier Hernandez
Javier Hernandez showed brilliant positional awareness and deadly finishing during his time at United, which aided him in becoming a fan-favourite at Old Trafford and one of the finest goal poachers in world football. His style of play and super-sub status resembled club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it looks like his time at United has come to an end as the Mexican international is in talks with MLS side Orlando City.
59 goals in 154 appearances is a good return for the striker, even more so when you take into account that 69 of those appearances were from the substitute’s bench, resulting in one the best goals to minute’s ratio in Premier League history.
Left Wing: Ryan Giggs
