Unbelievable – Sir Alex Ferguson named two forgotten Man Utd stars in dream XI – “Absolutely impossible”
Sir Alex Ferguson managed some of the world’s top players during his time at Manchester United, but a number of fascinating names appear to have piqued Scot’s interest more than some of their more famed team-mates.
During his time at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson managed a number of the world’s top players.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, and Eric Cantona are just a few of the names that come to mind while trying to recall some of the players who have graced the Old Trafford stage.
When asked to choose his best-ever United XI, Sir Alex had a few forgotten talents in mind, a task he initially dismissed as “totally impossible.” Former Red Devils forwards Louis Saha and Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez are two such instances.
Ferguson stated in an interview last year: “Consider the strikers I’ve had in the past, including [Brian] McClair, [Mark] Hughes, [Andy] Cole, Cantona, [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Louis] Saha, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, [Dwight] Yorke, and Teddy Sheringham.
“Then there’s Wayne Rooney, [Robin] van Persie, and Chicharito [Javier Hernandez]. How do you sort through that? Cantona and possibly someone else?
“The midfield was maybe a little easier because you had [Roy] Keane, [Bryan] Robson, and [Paul] Scholes – all excellent players – as well as [David] Beckham, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, and [Ryan] Giggs.”
While Saha and Hernandez are unlikely to be regarded as two of United’s best players, the duo did win their fair share of trophies in Manchester. After joining from Fulham in 2004, the Frenchman won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the League Cup.
During his five-year tenure at Old Trafford, Hernandez won two Premier League titles. Regardless, Sir Alex knew who the most gifted player he had signed during his stint at the club was – Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Cristiano Ronaldo was the most gifted player I managed,” he wrote in his official autobiography. He outperformed every other great player I coached at United. And I had plenty.
“The only players who could be placed alongside him would be two home-grown players, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, since they have contributed so much to Manchester United over the last two decades.”
Denis Irwin, a Red Devils legend, could potentially be in the running. “Denis Irwin, in my opinion, is the one sure thing to make the team. I gave him an eight out of ten “Ferguson went on.
“At Highbury, he had a terrible pass back in the closing minute of a game, and [Dennis] Bergkamp came in and scored. ‘You must be dissatisfied in that pass back,’ the reporters said after the game. ‘Well, one mistake in ten years isn’t awful,’ I reasoned. He was a fantastic player.”
