Obviously, there were some notable omissions
Paul Scholes has named his best Manchester United XI comprised of players whom he played alongside during his 20-year career at the club, during which he played over 700 matches.
Speaking on MUTV, Scholes was tasked with picking a line up made of his best teammates over the years which proved to be a difficult task.
The midfield veteran has a wide array of players to choose from, as he was a constant presence in all of Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams during the 90s, 00s and early 10s.
Scholes won 11 Premier League titles with the Red Devils and had the privilege of playing alongside the likes of Eric Cantona, Nemanja Vidić, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney during his career.
But they couldn’t all fit into his best XI, such is the nature of 11-a-side football.
His choice of goalkeeper was unsurprisingly Peter Schmeichel. The Dane was vital in United’s Champions League winning campaign in 1998/99 and revolutionised goalkeeping in England.
In defence, fellow member of the Class of ’92 Gary Neville slots in at right-back, while Jaap Stam partners Rio Ferdinand in central defence, getting the nod ahead of Nemanja Vidić. Denis Irwin was Scholes’ choice at left-back, with the free-kick specialist just pipping Patrice Evra to a place in the star-studded lineup.
“Great free-kicks, great penalty taker and he let his football do the talking. A quiet lad off the pitch, but brought great quality to the team,” Scholes said about Irwin.
Scholes elected to set his team up in a 4-3-3 system and chose to selflessly omit himself from the team, selecting Roy Keane as the holding midfielder with David Beckham and Ryan Giggs either side of the Irishman.
“It can only be Roy, the leader of the team,” Scholes declared on MUTV, as he picked his defensive midfielder.
Three of United’s greatest ever goalscorers, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo make up Scholes’ attacking trio.
Paul Scholes Manchester United XI
- Peter Schmeichel
- Gary Neville
- Rio Ferdinand
- Jaap Stam
- Denis Irwin
- David Beckham
- Roy Keane
- Ryan Giggs
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Wayne Rooney
- Ruud van Nistelrooy
