Ferguson's Top Ten Manchester United Players
1. Eric Cantona
Not for nothing is he referred to as King Eric. The Rimbaud-quoting French genius who, in the words of Roy Keane, "glided into the arena as if he owned the f****** place," has to be number one. Cantona's influence on the club he joined from Leeds in 1992 is almost immeasurable. He changed the way they trained, changed the way they played, even the way they re-fuelled. As George Best, the greatest player to ever pull on a Reds shirt, once said; "I'd give all the champagne I've ever drunk to be playing alongside him in a big European match at Old Trafford."
2. Roy Keane
Like Cantona, Keane is a true maverick. And, like Cantona, he was not your average footballer. Intelligent, supremely focussed, slightly unhinged and a leader of men who was capable of grabbing a game, and his team-mates, by the scruff of the neck and literally forcing events to go his way. Who will ever forget his stellar performance in dragging a down-and-almost-out United side back from two goals down against Juventus in the Champions League semi-final of 1999 in Turin?
3. Peter Schmeichel
Not so much a goalkeeper as a screaming, Rudolph-nosed, superhuman with the smothering capabilities of thousand goose-feathered pillows. He wore an XXXL shirt size. No other keeper, before of since, has been so commanding in his own area: his organisational skills and distribution saw him transcend the status of shot-stopper. In 2001 Schmeichel won a Reuters poll with more than 200,000 participants who voted him as the best goalkeeper of all time. The Old Trafford faithful reckon he was worth 12 points a season at least.
4. Bryan Robson
Before Roy Keane, there was Bryan Robson. Captain Marvel led his team out onto the pitch for 12 years, making him the longest-serving skipper in Man United's history. Back in the 1980's, people used to call United a 'one-man team'. Robson was that man. A ferocious tackler with a habit of making perfectly-timed runs into the box, he was always at the centre of Ferguson's plans, everyone else rotating around his aggressive, match-winning aura. The epitome of the all-action modern midfielder.
5. Paul Scholes
Despite growing up as an Oldham Athletic supporter, Paul Scholes has spent his entire career at Old Trafford. This small, quiet, asthmatic is apparently the only one of the long-serving United players never to receive the hair-dryer treatment from Alex Ferguson. His intelligent, simple passing and ferocious long-distance shooting have made him one of the first names on the team sheet for more than a decade. If he'd improved his tackling, he'd be rated as one of the most dangerous midfielders in Europe.
6. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Or Rutgerus Johannes Martinius van Nistelrooy, to give him his full name. If Alex Ferguson's reign at Man United has been short of one thing, it has been world class centre-forwards. Cole, Yorke, Solskjær, Saha - none of them were world class. This Dutch Greg Rudeski look-a-like definitely was. In 150 appearances for United he scored an astonishing 95 goals. And, as is always the case with six-yard box predators, most of them were more about being in the right place at the right time than aesthetic delight. He continues to prove his worth at Real Madrid.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
It's difficult to remember any other player who has had such an all-conquering influence on the Premier League as Cristiano Renaldo has had this season with Manchester United. He has scored 25 goals in 25 games so far and has, at times, been almost unstoppable. Dispensing with the more ridiculous side of his dribbling, the Portuguese winger has been by far the most outstanding performer in the league and has led some people to ask, 'what would Man United do without him?' 8. Ryan Giggs
Possibly the last of the genuine left-wingers in the game, Giggs has played 636 games for just one club and has been one of the key components in the lighting quick attacking philosophy that has defined Man United for the last ten years. Why is he so low down on this list? Because the occasional incredible display and the odd breath-taking goal have disguised the fact that he doesn't always perform to the level he's credited for.
9. David Beckham
With his move to Real Madrid, his sojourn in Los Angles and all the tabloid activity that's surrounded his every breath, it's easy to forget how important David Beckham was at Man United. Twice runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, Beckham dodged his lack of pace and ability to go past players by becoming the most deadly crosser of the ball in the world. Always gave 100%, sometimes even more, but probably should have used some the time he spent on marketing himself to make himself a better footballer.
10. Mark Hughes
Blessed with incredible upper body strength and deadly shooting ability, Hughes was an unusual blend of work-horse and spectacular goal-scorer. The Welshman's talent for holding the ball up was second to none, as was his capacity for unleashing gymnastic volley's that would almost break the net as they fizzed past the goalkeeper's outstretched hand. 'Sparky' scored 164 times in 453 games for Man United and is currently doing a pretty good impression of being Britain's best young manager with Blackburn Rovers.
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