GK: Peter Schmeichel
Appearances: 398
Goals: 1
A man-mountain with amazing cat-like reflexes, a screaming thundering bully, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Peter Schmeichel was all these and more. His imposing frame and intimidating style of play made him a most formidable barrier, physically and psychologically, the one goalkeeper you would actually favour against strikers in one-on-one situations. He was instrumental in United's ascendancy to dominance in the 90s, culminating in that glorious treble of 99, lifting the Champions League trophy in Barcelona as captain.
RB: Johnny Carey
Appearances: 344
Goals: 17
Reliable, professional and committed - three words to sum up Carey throughout his 19-year stint at Old Trafford. Ever-enthusiastic, and smart with the ball (on either foot), Johnny Carey was key in United’s stirring comeback in the 1948 FA Cup final, and was voted Footballer of the Year in 1949. The league winner’s medal that came his way in 1952, the year before he departed, was a fitting swan song. He also captained a European XI against Great Britain in 1947.
Source:
United greats: Johnny Carey - Official Manchester United Website
LB: Patrice Evra
Appearances: 276
Goals: 3
Widely regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the game, Evra has played an important part in the club's success over the past 5 years, with his driving runs a salient feature of United's attacking play. A determined tackler with pace to burn, he is deceptively strong and good in the air for one of his height. He has been named in the PFA Team of the Year 3 times, the FIFPro World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year in 2009.
CB: Martin Buchan
Appearances: 456
Goals: 4
For a decade Martin Buchan was United’s arguably most influential player. A cultured centre-half on and off the pitch, he was captain for six years during the 1970s, leading the Reds to the Second Division title in 1974/75 and the FA Cup in 1977. In Buchan’s 11 years at Old Trafford he demonstrated excellent positional awareness which, coupled with his pace, made him one of the coolest and classiest defenders of his era.
Source:
Martin Buchan - Official Manchester United Website
CB: Paul McGrath
Apearances: 199
Goals: 16
A defender of impeccable pedigree, McGrath’s prescient anticipation, flawless positioning, powerful athleticism and immaculate technique made him one of the best defenders ever to grace the domestic game. After 7 seasons with United where he only had the FA Cup as his solitary trophy success, he went on to Aston Villa and won two League Cups, winning PFA Footballer of the Year in 1993 at the age of 34, all the while playing with dodgy knees. One wonders what might have been if not for his alcoholism exacerbating his injury problems and fuelling his departure from Old Trafford.
CM: Paul Scholes
Appearances: 682
Goals:151
You must have a rare and special football talent to impress the great Sir Bobby Charlton. The United legend summed up Paul Scholes perfectly: "He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch." A host of golden seasons at Old Trafford include 1995/96’s Double-winning campaign, in which he covered admirably during Eric Cantona’s suspension, finishing second behind the Frenchman in the scoring charts with 14 goals; he was a cornerstone of 1999’s Treble-winners, although suspension ruled him out of the UEFA Champions League final, and in United’s Premier League success in 2003, his 20-goal haul was vital. Neat and compact, a misplaced Scholes pass was one of the rarest sights in football.
Source:
Paul Scholes - Official Manchester United Website
CM: Duncan Edwards
Appearances: 177
Goals: 21
Matt Busby described Duncan Edwards as the most 'complete footballer in Britain - possibly the world'. Armed with boundless stamina, an all-encompassing range of passing and a truly ferocious shot, Edwards was a player who could control any game he played in. A hulking physical presence for one so young earned Edwards the nickname of ‘manboy’, and he made his Football League debut aged just 16 years and 185 days old on 4 April 1953, against Cardiff City. By 21 he had won three Youth Cup winners’ medals, two league championships and appeared in an FA Cup final. When he made his international debut he became the youngest player to be capped for England in the 20th century at the age of 18 years and 183 days. This record stood for more than 40 years until Liverpool striker Michael Owen was capped in February 1998. Duncan died on February 21, 1958 from injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster, despite fighting bravely for over a fortnight.
Source:
Duncan Edwards - Official Manchester United Website
CM: Norman Whiteside
Appearances: 274
Goals: 67
One of the most gifted footballers to come through the United youth system, Whiteside had everything bar the extra yard of pace that would have made him the unplayable world-beater. He had remarkable technique and incredible sleight of foot for someone of his size (6 foot 2), his skill and eye for goals often produced delightful pieces of magic such as that wondrous stunner that curled past Neville Southall and into United folklore as the goal that won United the 1985 FA cup. His strong physique and combative style of play stood him in good stead amongst the rough and tumble of midfield, where his class on the ball can make the difference in quality to help United gain control of games. He relished battles, especially the big ones, and this appetite for the big games repeatedly paid off in match-winning displays against Liverpool and Everton, the dominant teams of that era, earning him cult hero status among the United faithful.
RM: David Beckham
Appearances: 394
Goals: 85
Arguably world football’s biggest name, David Beckham is a global phenomenon but a part of him will be forever Red. A decade spent marauding up United’s right wing contributed to the most successful period in the club’s history, and his 57-yard strike against Wimbledon has become one of the most replayed goals of all time. Mocked by the press and vilified by fans across the country after France 98, he was welcomed back into the arms of the United family. Beckham responded by scoring a trademark free-kick against Leicester City in the first League game of the 1998/99 season, and went on to enjoy a campaign that would have been beyond his - or any other Red’s - wildest dreams... the Treble.
David Beckham - Official Manchester United Website
LM: Ryan Giggs
Appearances: 897
Goals: 162
Ryan Giggs has made more appearances and won more honours than any other United player in the club's illustrious history. He surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's previous record (of 758 matches) on the night he helped the Reds secure a third European Cup triumph - the second of his career - in Moscow on 21 May 2008. Giggs' first senior trophy arrived in November 1991 as United beat Red Star Belgrade in the European Super Cup final. The following season, 1992/93, saw Giggs and United win the inaugural Premier League title. Ryan was an integral part of two Double-winning sides, in 1993/94 and 1995/96, before going one better in 1998/99 by adding the European Cup to the FA Cup and Premier League trophy. His contributions to the Treble-winning campaign included a superb solo goal to win the FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal at Villa Park, commonly regarded as one of United's greatest goals of all time.
Source:
Ryan Giggs - Official Manchester United Website
CF: Tommy Taylor
Appearances: 191
Goals: 131
Tommy Taylor is regarded by those who saw him play as the greatest centre-forward ever to represent Manchester United and England. He was the finest header of a ball in his era, his control and first-time passing immaculate, his scoring rate for club and country extraordinary. In fact, he was so good that the great Alfredo Di Stefano of Real Madrid dubbed him 'Magnifico'. In 189 appearances for United he scored 131 goals, giving him a goal ratio - of two every three games - that remains unsurpassed. He won championship medals in 1956 (scoring 34 league goals) and 1957 and netted an impressive 16 goals in 19 internationals for England. Tragically, on 6 February 1958, along with seven of his team-mates, Tommy lost his life in the Munich air crash.
Source:
Tommy Taylor - Official Manchester United Website
Sub: Harry Gregg
Appearances: 247
Goals: 0
A real tough nut, Gregg was as vocal, commanding and abrasive as Peter Schmeichel would become three decades later. His bold personality and powerful physique had persuaded Busby to fork out £23,000 – then a world record fee for a goalkeeper – just three months before the Munich air crash. After the disaster, Gregg was a part of the patchwork team built by Jimmy Murphy who reached the FA Cup final three months later. United were heroic in defeat, yet that losers’ medal would be the only decoration of Gregg’s time at Old Trafford. The Northern Ireland international was voted best goalkeeper at the 1958 World Cup and remained United’s first-choice custodian for four years until a shoulder injury threatened his career.
Source:
Harry Gregg - Official Manchester United Website
Sub: Allenby Chilton
Appearances: 391
Goals: 3
A tough, no-nonsense defender whose career was disrupted by the war, Chilton nevertheless made 391 appearances for United and was an important member of Sir Matt's first great side. He was club captain from 1953 to 1955, helping to guide the emerging Busby Babes, especially Mark Jones who was to succeed him in the United side.
Sub: Eddie Colman
Appearances: 108
Goals: 2
Nicknamed 'Snakehips' for his trademark body swerve, Eddie Colman, a cheeky young half back from Salford, was one of Old Trafford's great crowd-pleasers. He was a member of United's Youth Cup-winning teams in '53, '54 and '55, captaining the side to the last success.
Colman’s half-back partnership with close pal Duncan Edwards really fired the imagination of the fans, Eddie a Jack-in-the-box of jinks and twisting trickery, Duncan a ferocious competitor who thundered across the turf. Colman was no shrinking violet, however. His ball-winning skills, mixed with astute passing, regularly left opponents flat-footed.
Colman had won two championship medals and appeared on the losing side in the 1957 FA Cup final by the time of the fateful trip home from Belgrade on 6 February 1958.
Source:
Eddie Colman - Official Manchester United Website
Sub: David Herd
Appearances: 265
Goals: 145
Few United players have known how to find the net better than David Herd. Herd scored on his United debuts in the FA Cup, the League Cup and all three European competitions.
Herd scored twice in the 3-1 FA Cup final victory over Leicester City in 1963, before helping United finish second in the league the following season; his partnership with Denis Law yielding 50 goals. United were crowned champions a year later, and in the following season, 1965/66, Herd found the net 32 times.
Source:
David Herd - Official Manchester United Website
Sub: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Appearances: 366
Goals: 126
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reluctantly called time on his United playing career on 28 August 2007 – eleven years and three days after it began with a goalscoring debut.
On the field, the Norwegian became an embodiment of United’s never-say-die spirit in their most successful decade, often scoring late goals when points or trophies looked to have been lost. Ole's many career highlights include his four goals in 12 minutes as a substitute at Nottingham Forest, in United's record away win (8-1). But surely the most special memory of all would be the Champions League final in 1999 when he best exhibited his ability to seize the whisker of a chance. His injury-time toe-poke past Bayern Munich keeper Oliver Kahn completed United's Treble and cemented his place in Reds folklore.
Source:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Official Manchester United Website
Sub: Dennis Viollet
Appearances: 293
Goals: 179
Many great strikers have graced the Old Trafford stage, but none has matched Dennis Viollet’s 32 league goals in the 1959/60 season. Blessed with pace and positional sense, Viollet scored a remarkable 179 goals in 293 United appearances, making him the club’s joint-fourth highest goalscorer alongside George Best. As part of the Busby Babes, he formed a formidable partnership with the physical Tommy Taylor. The marriage of subtlety and strength reaped dividends as United won back-to-back championships in 1956 and 1957.
Source:
Dennis Viollet - Official Manchester United Website
Sub: Stan Pearson
Appearances: 343
Goals:148
Though the war played havoc with his United career, Stan Pearson’s talents at inside-forward made him one of the brightest stars in the club's firmament when hostilities ceased. He was a key member of Busby’s first great United team that tasted first success the F.A. Cup in 1948 (Pearson scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against Derby County and one in the 4-2 final win over Blackpool) and won the League Championship in 1952. Apart from consistency Pearson possessed a deadly and accurate shot.
Source:
Stan Pearson - Official Manchester United Website
