The Premier League brings together 20 of the best football teams in England to compete. Many clubs have long traditions such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, …. Among them, the most successful team is Manchester United. Under the leadership of captain Alex Ferguson. M.U has dominated the Premier League and continental tournaments for a certain period of time.
In club tournaments, M.U always makes opponents uncomfortable with their changing playing style and diverse tactics. Under the direction of Sir Alex, many players from rough diamonds have become famous players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, David de Gea, … With unprecedented achievements with 58 national titles and 8 international titles.
During his 31 years of leading Manchester United, he has trained and developed many players. The formation always changes from 4-4-2, 4-3-2-1, 4-3-3, …. requiring Sir Alex to have a number of quality players. During his long time leading, many audiences wondered which was his best formation. Let’s explore with sportnew.net the best formation of Manchester United under Sir Alex.
Manchester United’s best XI under Sir Alex
Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel
During his 8 years at Man United (from 1991 to 1999), goalkeeper Schmeichel won 15 major and minor titles with the club. Most notably, he won 5 Premier League titles and 1 Champions League title. Schmeichel deserves to be chosen, although his two colleagues Edwin van der Sar and David De Gea are also excellent.
Right-back: Gary Neville
Gary Neville is a symbol of loyalty because throughout his career, this right-back wearing the number 2 shirt has only been associated with one club, M.U. In 19 years playing for the M.U first team (from 1992 to 2011), he played 602 matches and won 20 major and minor titles.
Centre-back: Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam only played for M.U for 3 seasons but still won 6 titles with the Red Devils. Including 3 consecutive Premier League titles (1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01). He played so well that Sir Alex himself later admitted that one of his most regretful decisions was letting Stam move to Lazio.
Centre-back: Rio Ferdinand
There was once an opinion that M.U was too generous when spending 30 million pounds to bring centre-back Rio Ferdinand to Old Trafford in 2002. However, he proved otherwise. Before leaving M.U in 2014, Ferdinand won 10 major and minor titles with the Red Devils. Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic formed the most solid centre-back pairing in the world.
Left-back: Patrice Evra
Patrice Evra had an unsuccessful debut for M.U when his team lost 1-3 to Man City. The more Evra played, the more he proved to be an indispensable link in the M.U squad. During his 8 years at M.U, he won 15 titles, including 5 Premier League titles.
Midfielder: Roy Keane
Roy Keane’s brave play and contribution to M.U are very valuable. Under the reign of coach Alex Ferguson, the Irish captain won all possible titles at club level.
Midfielder: Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes is a member of the golden generation that M.U introduced in 1992. He is famous for his powerful kicks. Scholes and M.U won 10 Premier League titles and 2 Champions League titles. After returning in 2012, Scholes also helped M.U win the Premier League title once again.
Midfielder: Ryan Giggs
Like Neville and Scholes, Ryan Giggs was also part of the 1992 “golden generation” of M.U and stayed with one club his entire life. The Welsh winger made a total of 963 appearances for M.U.
Left winger: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo joined M.U when he was only 17 years old. Under Sir Alex’s guidance, he was groomed into a famous player. Although he did not achieve as much success as at Real, the Portuguese winger still won 9 titles, including the 2007/08 Champions League. After 6 years of dedication to the Red Devils, CR7 earned a ticket to Real with a record fee of 80 million pounds in 2009.
Striker: Wayne Rooney
Rooney joined M.U in 2004 for a transfer fee of £25.6 million. He made his debut with a hat-trick against Fenerbahce. In 13 years of dedication to M.U, Rooney won every title, with the last trophy being the 2017 Europa League. He scored a total of 183 goals for the Red Devils.
Striker Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona played so well that he was honored by M.U fans as the “king” of Old Trafford. This player is not only talented but also very individual. In addition to scoring difficult goals, the French star also left a strong impression with a double kick at a spectator when provoked. Every time he plays on the field, his collar is always up, showing his personality.
This is the best lineup of Manchester United under Sir Alex. Let’s explore domestic and international football news with sportnew.net.