Manchester United's 10 Greatest Defenders of All Time

As December rolls on, Manchester United's defence is starting to show some wear and tear. Injuries to Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Fabio have meant that Sir Alex Ferguson has been forced to play Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick as centre backs.

So I'm taking this opportunity to look back at my list of United's 10 greatest defenders of all time. Maybe Sir Alex wishes he had some of them fit, healthy and available to play.

Honourable Mentions

Johnny Carey: The Irishman played 535 games and played in every game in their 1968 European Cup success.

Nemanja Vidic: The current captain was part of the defence that amassed 14 consecutive clean sheets.

Arthur Albiston: The long serving left back played for United for 14 years between 1974 and 1988.

Kevin Moran: The two-time FA Cup winner also has the unfortunate distinction of being the first man ever sent off in an FA Cup final.

10. Tony Dunne

Up there with the greatest full backs ever to put on a United shirt, we start off the list with Tony Dunne.

Dunne got his big break for United when he started in the 1963 FA Cup final against Leicester City. Victory in that match and subsequent good performances made the Irishman first choice for Matt Busby.

As well as winning the FA Cup, Dunne would also go on to win the league title in 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968.

9. Dennis Irwin

One of the stalwarts of the dominant United team of the 1990's, number nine on the list goes to another Irishman Dennis Irwin.

Irwin received a ridiculous number of trophies in his time spent at Old Trafford and is United’s second most decorated player, with 13 winner’s medals. The 1990 Cup Winners' Cup was followed by the league title in 1992-93. He played in every game when United won the double in 1993-94.

At 34 years of age, Irwin played a big part in the fantastic side that won the treble in 1999, playing in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

Irwin made 529 appearances for United and was honored by captaining the 2001 side in their final few games, lifting the trophy in what was his seventh league title.

8. Jaap Stam

The player that Alex Ferguson has always regretted selling, Jaap Stam made a huge impression on the club despite only playing in 79 games.

The Dutchman came to United with huge expectations on his shoulders after the club paid over £10 million for him. He would not disappoint.

In just three years at the club, Stam won three league titles, an FA Cup and the Champions League. On a personal level he was voted the Champions League's best defender two years running.

Allegations made in his autobiography caused him to be sold to Lazio for over £15 million pounds.

7. Rio Ferdinand

When Rio came to Manchester in 2002, he became Britain's most expensive player and the World's most expensive defender. Since then Ferdinand has racked up an impressive amount of honours for the club.

Five Premier League titles, two league cups and a Champions League later and it looks like Ferdinand was worth the outlay.

Rio has also featured in five Premier League Teams of the Year and was a part of the FIFPro World XI in 2007-08.

6. Gary Neville

One of United's most devoted servants, Gary Neville has made 602 outings in red. Only Ryan Giggs, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes and Paul Scholes have appeared more times for United.

Neville won't always be remembered for the good things he did on the pitch though. After Rio Ferdinand scored in the last minute against Liverpool in 2006, Neville let his emotions go wild, grabbing his badge and pumping the air at the Liverpool fans. The FA thought this was a bit much and charged Neville with improper conduct, slapping him with a £5000 fine.

5. Gary Pallister

Along with Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister formed one half of the best defensive pairing of the 1990s.

With Pallister at the heart of their defence, United would win the Premiership title three times in 1993, 1994 and 1996, the European Cup-Winner’s Cup and Super Cup in 1991, the FA Cup three times in 1990, 1994 and 1996 (which meant that Pallister won the double twice) and the League Cup of 1992.

In addition to this amazing number of team honours, Pallister won the PFA Player of the Year in 1992 and his club form saw him play for England 22 times.

4. Martin Buchan

Fourth on the list is 1970's club record signing Martin Buchan. Buchan captained the Red Devils for six years, staying with the club after relegation to win the second division title in 1974-75 and then the 1977 FA Cup.

That's a true club legend.

3. Steve Bruce

One of the best players never to have been capped by England, Steve Bruce comes in third on the list.

Signing for United for £825,000 from Norwich, Bruce quickly became the lynchpin of the United defence. His partnership with Gary Pallister was the bedrock from which the 1990's team was based.

That squad would dominate English football in the 90s, with Bruce earning three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a League Cup and a Cup Winners' Cup.

It's a shame that this hasn't translated to his managerial career.

1. Roger Byrne

Roger Byrne was a truly great United captain whose life was tragically cut short in the Munich Air Disaster.

A born leader, Byrne was promoted to captain of United at the tender age of 24. Before his untimely death, he was being groomed as the next captain of England after Billy Wright.

A versatile player, Byrne could be utilised successfully at left full back or outside left.

Byrne won three League titles, two as captain and would have won plenty more.

The captain of one of United's most fondly remembered teams, Roger Byrne is not just United's greatest defenders but one of their all time greats.

2. Bill Foulkes

A survivor of the Munich Air Disaster, long term United servant Bill Foulkes is a true United Legend.

Like Bruce, he was overlooked by England. Despite being a constant starter for United, Foulkes was only made one appearance for his country.

He more than made up for this by leading United to four First Division championship medals in 1956, '57, '65 and '67 and was back at Wembley. He added the 1963 FA Cup to this. Perhaps his most memorable achievement came as Foulkes' career was coming to an end. Foulkes scored the winning goal in the semi-final of the 1968 European Cup.

This put United through at the expense of Real Madrid. They would go on to beat Benfica in the final at Wembley

A  fitting end to a great career.