Right-Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
Okay, so it might be cheating a little to have Cristiano Ronaldo in this side as a right-winger. After all, the Portuguese international enjoyed his greatest successes at Manchester United as part of a front trio alongside Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
However, Ronaldo began his Manchester United career playing on the right-wing. And with respect to David Beckham – arguably Manchester United’s best pure right midfielder - it’s safe to say that CR7 warrants a spot in the Red Devils’ greatest Premier League XI more than almost any other player.
Signed in the summer of 2003 as an inexperienced 18-year-old, Ronaldo took time to develop at Old Trafford. Often criticized for being too flashy, his early years saw him struggle to really produce goals. He scored just 18 in his first three Premier League campaigns.
However, something changed in the summer of 2006. Ronaldo returned from that year’s World Cup as a physical monster and began to score goals by the bagful.
The 2006-07 season saw him help Manchester United regain the Premier League title, and 2007-08 was even better. That season saw him score a ridiculous 42 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions.
He won the Ballon d'Or in the process, as the Red Devils retained the Premier League title and also won the Champions League.
Ronaldo spent one more season at Old Trafford, scoring another 26 goals and helping the team to win another Premier League title. When he departed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, he did so as a genuine legend.
Central Midfield: Roy Keane
The most decorated Irish footballer in the history of the game, Roy Keane won a total of 17 major trophies during his time at Manchester United, including seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the Champions League. However, it isn’t his trophy haul that earns him a spot in this side.
Simply put, few players in football history possessed the sheer will to win of Keane. The Irish international brought a level of intensity rarely seen in football to the Manchester United side. And his teammates were often driven to even higher levels by Keane’s incredibly high standards.
Keane was also an underrated player from a technical standpoint. An early example of a box-to-box midfielder, Keane could shield a defense with his ferocious tackling ability and willingness to break up opposition play.
However, he was also adept at making late runs into the box to score key goals – as he did against Leeds and Newcastle in the 1995-96 title-winning season.
Keane ended up leaving Old Trafford under somewhat of a shadow, ushered out of the club by Sir Alex Ferguson after criticizing some of his younger teammates.
However, the drive and determination he showed while playing for Manchester United contributed greatly to their success in the Premier League era, and he remains an all-time club great.
Central Midfield: Paul Scholes
Another member of the famed Class of 92, Paul Scholes initially broke through into Manchester United’s first team as a dangerous forward who had a tendency to pop up and score key goals during big matches. However, as his career progressed, he settled into a role as a world-class central midfielder.
Scholes never lost the ability to score goals – the 2002-03 season, for instance, saw him deliver 20 in all competitions. But his game became so much more than that. The England international was capable of playing some incredible passes, could use both feet, and was able to dictate the pace of a game from the center of the pitch.
Later in his career, Scholes’ contributions to the side never really waned. He came out of retirement to play one final season in 2012-13, helping Manchester United to win one more Premier League title, Scholes’ 11th overall.
Rated as one of the finest midfielders of his generation by the likes of Xavi, Andrea Pirlo, Pep Guardiola, and Gareth Southgate, Scholes was not the flashiest player. Howe he was definitely one of the men who made his United sides tick.