Manchester United have had some incredible footballers throughout history, making the greatest of all-time line-up is difficult to choose.
Several Old Trafford greats have taken a crack at naming their best-ever line-up from the club, with each having a different spin or shock inclusion.
Sir Bobby Charlton excluded himself from United’s greatest-ever line-up, which many would consider a shock to not have in the team.
Manchester United however have a wealth of options, with each generation having 11 players worthy of being in with best-ever shouts.
Paul Scholes has also previously listed his greatest-ever United side, with several club legends included, along with a shocking inclusion and exclusion. The midfielder who Edwin van der Sar labelled United’s best-ever player, left himself out of the XI.
Wayne Rooney among notable omissions from Paul Scholes’ greatest XI
Back in 2009, Scholes was asked by United club media to select his best possible XI of United players.
Scholes remarked on how difficult a task it is to choose just 11 afterwards.
“Picking the team makes me realise how many top players I’ve been lucky enough to play with. Even choosing who’d be on the bench was hard!”
Scholes not only chose his starting line-up but named some notable players who he deemed only good enough to make the bench.
“[Cristiano] Ronaldo can be joined by Wayne Rooney, [Carlos] Tevez and [Michael]Carrick. I’ll need a bit of defensive cover in too, so I’ve got Butt and Neville, with Stam as well.”
It is worth remembering that Scholes did this in 2009, long before Rooney in particular went on to become arguably the club’s biggest legend.
So with the standard of exclusions, who could have possibly made Scholes’ XI?
Who made Paul Scholes’ greatest Manchester United team of all time
Scholes’ XI comprised completely of players who he starred alongside in the red of Manchester United. Here is Scholes’ XI along with the reasoning behind each selection.
Goalkeeper – Peter Schmeichel: “Peter was unbeatable on his day – definitely the best keeper I’ve ever played with.”
Right-back – Gary Neville: “Having grown up with Gary, he’s a good friend and a great servant to United.”
- READ MORE: Who is Gary Neville? Step into the world of the Manchester United legend turned top-tier pundit
Centre-back – Rio Ferdinand: “Rio was the best defender around for a number of years, it’s as simple as that.”
Centre-back – Wes Brown: “Wes is another player I’ve known for a long time; he was a good old-fashioned defender.”
Left-back – Denis Irwin: “You could put Denis on either flank and he would put in a brilliant performance.”
Right midfield – David Beckham: “Becks could put the ball wherever he wanted; a great player to have on the wing.”
Centre midfield – Roy Keane: “A fantastic leader, and someone you’d love to have alongside you in midfield.”
Centre midfield – Bryan Robson: “I loved watching Bryan when I was younger; he’s one of the best-ever midfielders.”
Left midfield – Ryan Giggs: “Giggsy’s a great mate and a brilliant player who has a terrific amount of skill.”
Centre-forward – Ruud van Nistelrooy: “Just a brilliant finisher, Ruud could score from anywhere in the 18-yard area.”
Centre-forward – Teddy Sheringham: “Teddy was a great pro, and one of the cleverest players I’ve ever shared a pitch with.”
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