Full-backs are so important in the modern day but over the history of Manchester United, the Red Devils have had some world-class right-backs.
Perhaps one of the most underrated positions on the pitch, right-back almost forms part of the Red Devils attack and they have proven to be a vital position over the years.
Whether it’s Gary Neville or Noel Cantwell, Manchester United have had some superb right-backs during their history and United In Focus will give you our top five.
5 – Noel Cantwell
Starting off our list is Irish defender Noel Cantwell. Following the 1958 Munich air disaster which tragically took the lives of eight United first-team players, Cantwell played a key role for the Red Devils.
United won their first trophy following that tragic day in Belgrade in 1963 when they won the FA Cup and Wembley and Cantwell was a key figure for the club.
Cantwell was the true leader for the Red Devils and put Sir Matt Busby’s plans into action on the pitch and was awarded with the captaincy as a result.
He would go on to make 123 appearances for the Red Devils and he deserves a place on our list.
4 – Mike Duxbury
Mike Duxbury was one of 251 academy graduates at United and he began his career at Old Trafford and would remain in the North West for 14 years.
Duxbury won two FA Cup medals during his time at Old Trafford in 1983 and 1985 and he would go on to make 299 appearances for the club.
He would eventually move on from Old Trafford and move to Blackburn Rovers but there is little doubt that Duxbury was a United legend.
3 – Paul Parker
A more recent entry into our list is United right-back Paul Parker, who was the main choice for Sir Alex Ferguson before another full-back would eventually emerge from the Class of ’92.
Parker went on to make 139 appearances for the Red Devils but due to his skin colour, Parker was abused consistently but United fans adored the tough-tackling defender.
The 5 foot 7 defender may well have been small but he was certainly hard to get past. During his time at Old Trafford, Parker won 3 Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the League Cup. He’s a bonafide United great.
2 – Johnny Carey
At number two on our top five list is Johnny Carey. Another Irishman, Carey won every domestic honour that was available to him and he was described as a ‘gentleman’.
Carey crossed the Irish Sea to Old Trafford in 1936 and won the Footballer Of The Year award in 1949, which was only previously won by Sir Stanley Matthews.
The Irish right-back made 304 appearances for the Red Devils and scored 17 times. He would then go on to manage Blackburn Rovers and Everton during his stint as a manager.
1 – Gary Neville
Despite the fact he never seems to rate his own ability when reflecting on a career spent entirely at Old Trafford, Gary Neville had to be our number one.
Brought through as part of the Class of ’92, Neville would be the stalwart at right-back for the Red Devils for 16 years before a fateful day at The Hawthorns seemed to put an end to his career.
Neville would go on to be one of United’s highest appearance makers with 602 and he is truly the best right-back to ever come out of Old Trafford, even though he may not agree with that statement.
As well as this, Andy Cole believes Neville played a key part in the 1999 treble win with his brilliant raking ball over the top found the forward who scored the decisive winner against Spurs to win the Premier League title.
Neville deserves his place in United folklore.
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