Sir Alex Ferguson admitted five ex-players could “never be left out” of a Manchester United side and claimed that it was an “impossible task” to build his all-time XI.
The ex-United manager brought a raft of talented players to Old Trafford during his career, including the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Peter Schmeichel.
During his 26-year glittering United reign, Ferguson led the club to an impressive 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups and four League Cups.
The 81-year-old legendary Scotsman, who retired as a manager in 2013, has previously claimed that he only ever managed four world-class players at United.
Ferguson insisted that an all-time United XI would be too difficult to name, despite saying that only one legendary player would be the “one certainty” in his team.
However, he was well aware of how integral some players were to his squads from the past and revealed five players that he simply wouldn’t drop from a United side.
Ferguson struggles with United legends to choose from
Speaking in his 2013 autobiography, Ferguson openly discussed the talented roster of players that he had at United and some of the standout names among them.
The United icon claimed that the likes of Ryan Giggs couldn’t be ‘disregarded’ and questioned how Paul Scholes, Bryan Robson or Roy Keane could be left out.
Speaking in ‘Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography’ (via The Daily Mirror), he wrote: “You couldn’t leave out Scholes and you couldn’t leave out Bryan Robson. They would both give you at least ten goals a season.
“But then that raises the question: How can you leave out Keane?
“You would have to play the three of them. But if you do that, who do you play with Cantona, who was always better playing with another forward?
“Try picking one striker from [Brian] McClair, [Mark] Hughes, [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer, [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Teddy] Sheringham, [Dwight] Yorke, [Andy] Cole, Rooney and [Robin] van Persie. You couldn’t disregard Giggs.”
Ferguson settles on final five United legend
Despite all of the different players that he could name, Ferguson managed to whittle his list down to the five players who he would not drop for a United team.
The former Aberdeen boss’ picks included Eric Cantona, who had a sensational impact at Old Trafford during the 1990s after his move from Leeds United.
United’s famous former captain Robson, AKA ‘Captain Marvel,’ was on Ferguson’s list alongside legendary Red Devils duo Scholes and Giggs.
Joining Cantona, Giggs, Scholes and Robson as the fifth player in Ferguson’s picks was none other than Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
“So it always felt like an impossible task to select a best XI, yet you would have to say Cantona, Giggs, Scholes, Robson and Cristiano Ronaldo could never be left out of a Man United side,” Ferguson said.
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