Comparing Manchester United’s and Liverpool’s greatest XIs of 2000-2017

Midfield

Manchester United – Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes, the pass master

The problem with sports media is that analysts tend to get carried away by the form of a player. If not, Jamie Redknapp wouldn’t have committed a football blasphemy by stating Kevin De Bruyne is already the best ball passer the Premier League has ever seen; he didn’t say that last season.

That title is reserved for the one and only Paul Scholes. To illustrate, Zidane (one of the greatest footballer of all time) believes Scholes’s ball passing abilities were second to none. So, when a World Cup winner and three-time Ballon d’Or recipient said Scholes was better than he was, then something must be special about Scholes.

The Englishman based his game on keeping and recycling possession. On top of that, with the breakneck speed with which the Premier League matches have always been played, it was surprising that Scholes managed to stay calm under pressure and play the correct passes. In fact, when United’s midfield were in disarray, Sir Alex Ferguson had to persuade Scholes to come out of retirement.

Also, he won so many honours which will make him go down as one of the Premier League’s most excellent footballers.

Rating = 9

Special mention: Roy Keane

Manchester United – Michael Carrick

A jubilant Michael Carrick

Michael has always been the lynchpin of Manchester United’s midfield ever since his 2006 transfer from Tottenham. Carrick is a defensive midfielder who likes to anticipate opponents’ play to win the ball back.

Also, he doubles as a deep-lying playmaker, and similar to Scholes in style, he excels at it. With Carrick in the lineup, great things have happened to Manchester United. When you think of the word ‘classy’, think Michael Carrick.

Rating = 8

Special mention: David Beckham

Manchester United – Giggs

Ryan Giggs vs Liverpool Premier League 1996

A one-club man, Giggs is the only former Premier league player whose CV is so extensive he doesn’t even need an introduction. Evidently, he was voted by fans as the league’s best ever player.

At his best, he was a direct dribbler, a sublime crosser of the ball, and one of the quickest in the league. When he lost several yards of pace, Giggs reinvented himself as a midfielder.

Giggs’s Premier League records

1. Record number of appearance for a single club (632)

2. Record number of assists

3. Record number of league titles

4. 109 goals and 162 assists

5. The only players to have played in the first 22 seasons of the Premier League.

6. He also won European honours with Manchester United.

Rating = 9.8

Special mention: Owen Hargreaves