Manchester United's Best All-British Premier League XI vs. Best Overseas XI
As many of Manchester United's current crop of players are off on international duty with their countries, we have taken a look at some of the finest talent from at home and abroad to have featured for the club.
Here are two XIs, designed to be a match for one another and accommodate as much of the best talent to have played for United in the Premier League era as possible.
Both sides line up in the 4-4-2 that is traditional for "best XI" lineups everywhere and was, of course, the formation with which United enjoyed plenty of Premier League success.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
There were some interesting selection dilemmas and a couple of key weaknesses—how the All-British team would have loved to have borrowed a 'keeper and a left-back from the Overseas bench, for example.
Left-wing is a tricky position to find a second-best option at in any "best United Premier League XI" scenario because one player dominated that position for so long—frankly, the overseas option in that spot is a bit of a cheat.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the two sides. Let us know in the comments section below who you think would win if these two sides faced off and whether you'd have lined them up differently!
All-British XI
Goalkeeper: Roy Carroll
Well, this is awkward. The All-British Premier League XI gets off to a difficult start. United have had three great goalkeepers during the modern era. All have them have been from abroad. Indeed, Carroll might not crack the top-five list of post-1992 United 'keepers.
However, in a straight fight between him and Ben Foster, Carroll nudges it thanks to his relative longevity at Old Trafford—68 starts to Foster's 23.
It says a lot that Carroll's most famous moment in a United shirt involved his furtive glance at the assistant referee when a Pedro Mendes shot for Tottenham Hotspur was saved a long way behind the line.
Fortunately, there is a very strong centre of defence ahead of the Northern Irishman to compensate for this area of relative weakness.
Right-Back: Gary Neville
No other choice is possible here. Neville would be an automatic selection for best right-back of United's outright Premier League XI, so there is no doubt he gets into the All-British side. The first of the Class of '92 to feature here, Neville is fifth in all-time appearances for United, having featured in 602 competitive games.
Tenacious, determined and hard-working, Neville was a master of positioning and developed a superb understanding with David Beckham on the right flank for club and country.
He worked on his weaknesses, becoming one of the best crossers of the ball at the club—something few would have predicted in his early years. United through and through, this home-grown hero was beloved at Old Trafford, and his name is still sung at almost every United match.
Centre-Backs: Rio Ferdinand and Steve Bruce
There were a few other possibilities here, and Gary Pallister in particular is unlucky to miss out. However, Pallister and Steve Bruce were the Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic of their day. Pallister was the ball-playing, cultured centre-half to Bruce's warrior-like physical presence.
Bruce has the tough-tackling spot locked down in the British XI and would make a wonderful partner for Ferdinand.
Ferdinand pips Pallister to the ball-playing role in this partnership by virtue of his supreme quality in the position. Both men played north of 400 times for very successful United sides, and both were at the heart of their respective successes.
However, Ferdinand's ability to improve the whole defensive unit thanks to his organisational and leadership skills, together with his impeccable timing in the tackle and quality on the ball means he is a must here.
Left-Back: Philip Neville
Philip Neville was never a natural left-back, but United's great players in this position in the Premier League era have been from overseas, so the Class of '92 gets another alumnus in the side—although the younger Neville technically came from a later intake than his colleagues in that collective.
Right-Wing: David Beckham
Beckham's incredible ability to cross the ball, his wonderful talent at set pieces and his work rate and commitment to the United cause made him a shoo-in here. Vital during United's greatest season, 1998-99, Beckham was an assist machine who used his superb range of passing to create chance after chance.
He also contributed with plenty of memorable goals of his own. A United fan growing up, Beckham is certainly worthy of his place in this XI.
Central Midfield: Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes
Only two men played for United more than Paul Scholes. Not too many more can claim to have been better players, either.
Beloved by elite football players around the world, Scholes' vision and range of passing was a constant threat. As was his ability to find the net from range on a pretty regular basis.
Michael Carrick was in contention to partner Scholes here, but instead, it is Scholes' fellow Class of '92 member Nicky Butt who gets the nod. Given the midfield pairing they would be up against in this theoretical match, having Butt's fearless presence would be a must.
He was no slouch on the ball, either, and his fine technical ability was particularly evident during his excellent World Cup campaign in 2002, when Pele named him his player of the tournament, per Paul Hayward of the Telegraph.
A formidable pairing of silk and steel, Scholes and Butt would be a match for most sides' midfields.
Left-Wing: Ryan Giggs
He's Ryan Giggs.
Centre-Forward: Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney will almost certainly break the goalscoring record for his club as he has recently done for his country. And having the Rooney of, say, 2008 in this side would be an enormous asset to this team. Explosive pace on the counter-attack, guile and power on the ball, Rooney was a near-impossible challenge for defenders when he was in his prime.
He would be superb in the deep-lying forward role here, comfortably keeping Teddy Sheringham and Mark Hughes out of the side, though they both warrant honourable mentions.
Centre-Forward: Andy Cole
"He gets the ball and scores a goal, Andy, Andy Cole!" Thus goes the song that, like Gary Neville's, is still sung to this day. It was a little inaccurate—Cole had a reputation for profligacy, born of relatively low goal returns early in his United career. Once he hit his stride, though, he was a superb centre-forward.
He was a finisher, certainly, but his partnership with Dwight Yorke also proved him to be a gifted creator. He topped the 20-goal mark for three seasons in a row between 1997 and 2000 and was integral to United's treble triumph in 1999.
Overseas XI
Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel
From little competition for places in the British XI to fierce competition for places here. Peter Schmeichel keeps out Edwin van der Sar and David De Gea by virtue of his mountainous, thunderous presence in the box and his remarkable ability to start counter-attacks by throwing the ball out to the halfway line with speed and accuracy.
He was Sir Alex Ferguson's first great 'keeper, and it took a very long time to replace him. One of the finest to have ever stood between the sticks.
Right-Back: Rafael
Where the British XI suffers a little at left-back, the overseas XI has no great right-back to call upon. Thus, very specifically, the Rafael of the 2012/13 season gets the nod here. During that season, he seemed to have curbed his more wayward instincts and was growing into the player it always seemed he could become. He was injury free and firing.
Ferguson's retirement and David Moyes' arrival did for that, but for one year, he earned his place—albeit because there is not a lot of competition.
Centre-Backs: Nemanja Vidic and Jaap Stam
Does that not sound like the most terrifying partnership imaginable? Two huge fan favourites, Nemanja Vidic would have the destroyer role here with Jaap Stam the more artful of the two. Of course, he was also a destroyer—indeed, Stam was the closest thing United have ever had to Vidic and Ferdinand rolled into one.
No strikers would relish facing this partnership.
Left-Back: Denis Irwin
A difficult choice, given the esteem with which Patrice Evra is clearly held for his time at United. However, in 2013, Sir Alex told the Sunday World, when discussing his best ever XI:
"Honestly, I would say Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to get in the team. I called him an eight out of 10. At Highbury in one game he had a bad pass back in the last minute and [Dennis] Bergkamp came in and scored.
After the game the press said 'You must be disappointed in that pass back.'
I said, 'Well, one mistake in 10 years isn't bad.' He was an unbelievable player.
"
Right-Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
For the generation of fans who had seen Ferguson's great sides of the 1990s, the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo was remarkable because, for the first time, here was a player who might just have been better than any of those who had come before.
For fans who had seen Roy Keane, Eric Cantona and the peak of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, that came as something of a shock. The transformation he underwent at United, from a talented showboat of teenager to Ballon d'Or winner was remarkable. Ronaldo very obviously gets into the side here.
Central Midfield: Roy Keane and Bastian Schweinsteiger
One of these positions was essentially the first name on either of the teamsheets—Roy Keane was always going to captain this overseas XI.
A player who fit without any doubt into the bracket of "world class," Keane led United to glory after glory as Sir Alex's surrogate on the pitch.
Choosing his partner was difficult. Juan Sebastian Veron was in with a shout thanks to his achievements elsewhere and the glimpses of his quality he showed at United. However, if achievements elsewhere are to be considered, then Bastian Schweinsteiger gets the call up.
Champions League, World Cup and multiple-time domestic league winner, Schweinsteiger has made a good start at United but gets into the side for his performances throughout his career rather than the three months he has given to the Red Devils to date.
He and Keane would make a formidable midfield partnership, especially if each player was at his peak.
Left-Wing: Angel Di Maria
A controversial inclusion given he is hardly a popular figure at United. However, Angel Di Maria's selection solves the problem of finding a high-quality overseas alternative to Giggs.
Di Maria's relative failure at Old Trafford cannot take away from his merits as a player, and he would be an asset to this side, who would provide him with the platform to play his natural game and make an impact.
Centre-forward: Eric Cantona
OK: Keane was, in fact, the joint-first name on the teamsheet. Le Roi, Eric Cantona, was an automatic inclusion. A bona fide legend at Manchester United, his arrival was the catalyst for many of the great things which followed. Enigmatic, intriguing and larger than life—all of these things are true.
But what must not be forgotten is that he was also just an absolutely brilliant footballer who lit up Old Trafford with moment after moment of brilliance. He is called the King for a reason.
Centre-Forward: Ruud van Nistelrooy
What better foil for Eric's brilliance than the goalscoring machine that was Ruud van Nistelrooy? And how United fans and Van Nistelrooy himself may wish the Dutchman could have played in a team surrounded by this level of quality.
If he had done, he would certainly have left United with more than one league title.
A born predator, Van Nistelrooy never seemed to miss a chance, scoring 150 goals in 219 appearances in a side that often struggled. An easy choice to lead the line here.
So with a couple of minor exceptions, these are two remarkably strong sides. Which one would win? Perhaps the overseas side have an edge, but the domestic XI certainly has its merits.
What is certain, though, is United fans are lucky to have seen so many great players play for their club during the Premier League era.
All appearance data courtesy of the Website of Dreams.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
