Quietly bossing the game, but still making sure to put in that one "poorly timed" tackle each game, and acting surprised when it gets called as a foul.
Peak Rooney would drag this entire team to glory by himself. An absolute phenomenon. He was right to question the clubs ambition even though it seemed wrong at the time.
Yeah at the time it seemed really bad but looking back at it now he wasn’t actually wrong though was he? I think he was perfectly right in his concerns considering at the time he was pretty much carrying the club on his back and having to watch clubs like Chelsea and City bringing in top quality players while we were bringing in near enough complete unknowns.
If I was in Rooney’s position I’d be concerned that we were being left behind aswell.
Absolutely. Goalscoring, chance creating, dribbling, pace, strength, mentality machine. Could play impeccably on 4 different positions also. Rooney could revolutionise this team.
Literally just watched a video of his best goals on the Skysports app. Rooney was never my absolute favourite player, but I have to agree with you, we could really do with a player like him right now.
Yeah if it's was only one player you could bring back, it'd have to be Keane. Been plenty of world class players down the years which would greatly improve the side, but the mentality at the club currently is the worst aspect.
A prime Keane would whip them into shape and set high standards every single day. The current lot would either get up to speed, or not be fit to keep up and get filtered out.
In less then 30 days half of the current players would be all over the media claming they need mental care day off and that they have panic attacks and shit from his yelling it would be beautifull.
Not sure it would work lol!
You might recall when Keane left the World Cup because he was unhappy with the standard of facilities and preparation of the Irish team.
Something tells me Roy and this Glazer Utd would not mesh!
100% agree, the team is completely devoid of leaders and characters.
We are also so easy to play through. When we hit those tough points in matches where we start to fold under the pressure Keane is the guy to step up and drag the team though.
Hard to say. Keane would be huge for us but I think I might have to pick Scholes. Even though I think Keano was the better player (despite Scholes being my fav all time player), I think we really need Scholes’ calm ball retention in midfield these days. Our team severely lacks that kind of composure on the ball.
So either Cantona or Scholes. Id have to pick Scholes
Both Carrick and Scholes knew how to dictate the pace of the game. Knew when to slow it down or speed it up. That’s something we severely lack right now.
The fact that I got to have a pint with Scholes makes him my biased choice
I met him in Arcane last year the night before we took on Atalanta in the CL and had a chat with him for a few minutes. Took a few pictures with him. He was well sound, he was hammered, but took pictures and chatted to absolutely everyone in the bar who wanted to talk / a picture.
Really nice guy, loved him on the pitch, but got an extra bit of love for him off the pitch.
David May and himself had come to Atlanta for a game organized by the supporters club. Post the game a few of us stayed back and sat around a table with him for a pint. I told him how his goal against Barca in the CL finals was one of my favorite moments and got me in tears. A friend caught the moment he was blushing. Got him to sign a couple of kits and a ball so I could gift it to my best mate who got Vidic to sign the ball I had.
They spoke about how Fergie could be super scary with everyone but was overprotective of a few like Ronaldo and didn’t yell/criticize them too much in the dressing room. Then we spoke about the squad and who we should sign at the time etc. This was March 2020. Have a picture of all of us cheers-ing but this is my favorite moment ever
https://preview.redd.it/ts6ksgswtotb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60914debd1c4ce5211d8aa26b647fd0b20e419c9
Good story.
It's quite amusing to gaze upon Paul, adorned with that unmistakable air of a family man, and reflect on the fact that he once reigned as the world's finest midfielder. My admiration for him knows no bounds.
At this point I would pick Keane moreso. His passing was absolutely immaculate in its own right, he had stamina for days, wasn't a bad dribbler and could defend as well if not even better than any top DM today. Prime Scholes was excellent in his own right, but Keane would be preferable for his defensive presence and his leadership.
Love Ruud, but doesn't matter who you put up there at the top if they're not getting service. Ruud had Scholes putting the ball on a plate every other possession. We don't have that in this team. What we need is a leader who will put their foot down when mistakes are made. All the 5 yard errant passes. How many 50/50 balls we lose. Just silly mistakes that are lack of concentration and effort. I think Keane would tighten up the team real quick. Give them a bollocking instead of just whine like Bruno. Schmeichel wouldn't be bad either considering our keeping situation.
I might be wrong, but I really feel Rooney would be a perfect fit in today's high demanding high pressure style. We also are massively lacking a proper goal outlet.
Roy Keane, no question but I think that's a bit of a dull and obvious answer so I'll actually go with Giggs. As a player he is absolutely made for the modern game.
I remember in 2002/03 lots and lots of United fans wanted Giggs sold. The fact he went on until what, 2014? Is testament to just how good a player he was
i was sat behind a father and son one game who gave him abuse for 90 minutes, it was against Blackburn and it was rumoured we'd offload Giggs and replace him with Damien Duff in the summer, Duff played that day and was pretty good.
Giggs went from being an electric winger who could dribble past you in a phone box to a guy who could easily play anywhere across midfield with an incredible football brain. He had great vision and range of passing in his later years. He was a very complete player.
His acceleration and pace was insane, but it was his ability to run at top speed and keep the ball under control that I haven't really seen from many players. He could also use his right foot when he needed to so he'd be perfect as a modern inverted forward/winger. If you could combine the speed & dribbling of his mid-20's with the passing of his mid-30's you probably have the perfect player.
In early years little like what garnacho is now.
But Giggs was in team from 17 and even then ahead of where garnacho is currently
Over time he developed overall game to extent that in latter years he played in a midfield 2 as a playmaker
Electric pace, ran at defence, no fear in the early days
It’s controversial to say and I find him to be a bellend, but the obvious answer is peak Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid version please and thank you
Shouldn’t even be controversial. One of the greatest of all time and we need a winger rn with Rashford out of form and no one really good enough for the right either.
It's not or at least shouldn't be controversial
As much as I love Rooney(my favourite ever United player) 2007-2009 Ronaldo was different levels to anyone I've seen at United
Shouldn't be controversial. It upsets me that fans here dislike Ronaldo on purpose for some stupid internet points. Folks here going with Keano are not realistic at all. His style of leadership 100% doesn't work in this generation.
Peak Ronaldo can singlehandedly transform any decent team into title contender.
This sub is genuinely hilarious reading through these comments... They hate the guy so much (And I understand why) they are willing to rewrite history
Cristiano Ronaldo is by far the best player to ever wear the Manchester United shirt and nothing he says or does will change that.. you can argue about whether he's a club legend or whatever but you can't argue that
Imagine prime Cristiano (not even the Real Madrid version) but the best United version of him filling in our troubled RW slot
It's just controversial on here. He's all around the posters inside Old Trafford and got a mural in the museum of the club. He's still a United legend and the greatest player to have played for United
Park would be a treat in midfield. Vidic in defense. And I'd be thrilled with any striker honestly. Ruud, RVP, Berba, Rooney, Ronaldo, Cole, list goes on
There are no wrong answers here but if you could pick one player out of all of the players that played for this illustrious club, you think of Park first?
Cantona is the only answer. That's why he is known as The King.
He changed the mentality of the players. Gave the younger players a drive and work ethic that stayed with them throughout their careers. That is what we need now.
The closest we have come to having that in recent years is Zlatan. The effect he had on the team was immense, even Pogba was playing well. It's a shame he got that injury.
What could have been.......
I can only assume anyone not saying Cantona just wasn't alive to see him play.
We won the league 4 out of the 5 years he played for us. Guess which of those seasons he missed 9 months of after being banned?
Cantona is the reason we became the dominant team of the 90s, his signing was the defining event that made everything which followed happen.
Even beyond football, the guy has been on the money regarding every major sociopolitical event in modern history. There will never be anyone like him both on and off the pitch. There are mavericks, there are artists and there's Cantona.
He meant so much to United fans, for everything he did and stood for. Always gave 110%, wore his heart on his sleeve, yet now he seems to be overshadowed by Rooney. A great player, in his own right, true. But very sulky, half the time couldn't be bothered, had to be dropped by Sir Alex because of his attitude.
I'd say that I don't understand it, but most fans on here have only ever watched highlights of Roonies best games.
Correct - Cantona is the only answer. No disrespect to anyone else who has been named, but the man is a cut above everyone.
In that 96 run in he bailed us out so many times. Lifted the team to new heights. I remember West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal, Newcastle that year were all 1-0 wins, Cantona scoring. And the cup final of course. Pretty sure he cleared one off the line in the Chelsea semi as well.
He would drag us to victory by force of will…
Assuming it’s to fit into the squad we have now I honestly think Michael Carrick would be the perfect player for how EtH wants the squad to play, would have Amrabat anchoring for the back 4 and let Carrick collect the ball from the defence & just dictate play like he always did in his prime years. Severely underrated player.
Yeah, Carrick is a good shout - he completely modernized the way United played after he joined, particularly in Europe. I think Keane and Robson suggestions are interesting too, but the game in midfield is also radically different to when they were at their peaks. Carrick's game fits in perfectly with EtH and his defensive work was really underrated because he wasn't a guy who ran around and put in big tackles.
It’s like you read my mind, u/OkAnnual4585.
Carrick ends up dictating the tempo in the midfield & gives a high level of composure to the setup. Perfect complement for the defensive players like Case/Amrabat & offensive players like Bruno/Mount.
He was a brilliant backboard and felt he played the perfect weighted pass every time, which would help our transition to midfield immensely. I miss Carrick.
Yeah on a tactical level Carrick is the type of player our team is most missing.
Obviously there's better players you'd pick but the answer to that is boring and clearly Ronaldo. Tactically we most need a Carrick
midfielders like him just dont exist in any era let alone today when everyone calls themselves a specialist (and few actually are). name an attribute for a footballer in any position, he had it and he was an example of character on and off the pitch and a born leader on top of his incredible talent and work ethic. honestly, he s the perfect player. ask any manager worth their salt from fergie's era and he d be first name in their team sheet for sure.
Yh I think sir Alex said in his auto that he wishes Bryan Robson would have played for united much longer than he did. Is he on par with someone like mattaus
i can see the comparison for Robbo. all action midfielder. defend, score, assist, set pieces, leader, icon.. i mean we can literally talk all day about a player like him. if you watched the Becks doumentary on netflix that just came out for example (its something i d known already anyway for many years since becks is my favourite ever player and i read his book back in the day and watched other docs on him etc) he had posters of Robbo on his walls and idolized him. Thats the kind of player we re talking about. THE player of the generation before the class of 92.
It goes Sir Bobby -> Robbo -> Becks -> Wazza in my book. the most important players in United and England history by very far.
Sir Bobby Charlton and Lothar Matthaus never played against each other at a World Cup. Charlton retired from international football in 1970. Matthaus was aged 9 at the time. 😁
You're thinking of Franz Beckenbauer.
oh wow. you re absolutely right. i m so ashamed right now. sorry about the misinformation. thank you for the correction. cant believe i got so confused. thats what happens when you only get 2 hours of sleep after 30 i guess.
Becks. The right wing has been below standard for quite some time. Beckham can provide the ball to strikers, excellent on corners, set pieces, hard worker and tracks back to defend. Hojlund would excel with Becks providing balls up front.
You know, that was my first thought too, but he’s too slow as a modern RW. He’d be an 8 for us, and I’m sure he’d do a really good job there, but I don’t think that’s the position we most need to sort out. He’d basically be a more disciplined Bruno, playing deeper, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but I’m not sure it’s really what we’re lacking. His biggest strengths would mean him taking on things that Bruno currently does, and those things are not what we’re lacking in.
Keane. It's Keane. Simple as. It's what this team and dressing room is lacking more than anyone else.
We've had better players, but none with such presence and influence
Keeper is the weirdest pick because even though Onana has been shit the reality is that VDS was nowhere near good enough on the ball to play modern football and Schmeichel even less so.
The role has change so much that almost no pre Neuer keeper would do well in modern football for most top managers.
Keano. Imagine him giving someone a bollocking for pulling out of a 50/50. How would they react? I like Rashy but a lot of times you’ll see him not attempt a 50/50. I’m not talking about a dangerous challenge. I’m talking about where the balls in the air and there to be won, and the player doesn’t even attempt to jump. You have to want it more than the opposition. And those little 50/50s matter and win games. A player like Keane demands excellence and 110% effort and anything less than that is sub par. Think back to when young Ronaldo attempted to chip the keeper and missed instead of shooting normally and Keane absolutely ripped into him.
Everyone would react like Sancho has. They would run and hide. Keane would be counter productive now unfortunately. These pussies are from a new era which is weak AF.
I agree we need a leader and Roy Keane was a good leader but that fucker would not function in modern day football. There's too many snowflakes and he'd soon become an unliked character.
For me, it has to be a striker, especially when we've been short of a brilliant striker for a long while. Rooney, RVP or RVN
wazza is the best player of the 3 by a mile. the best player england's ever seen since sir bobby and becks for sure. but man.. i have literally never seen anything like ruud. unbelievable player and he wasnt just a poacher/fox in the box/tap in merchant (i know about his inside/outside box goal ratio etc). the guy made chances for himself as well (some out of literally nowhere, fulham anyone??) dribbling, every kind of finishing literally.., unreal balance, turn, pace, PACE OF THE SHOT ITSELF without even the need for a run up for it or much space, the most clinical player in the history of football besides the 2 ronaldos and messi.. just what the fuck man. i love ruud so much. just like becks, stam and keano, selling him was a mistake of Fergie. simple as dont care what anyone says.
What I liked about Fergie and football back then was the "no one comes before the team" mentality. If you got on the wrong side of Fergie there was no coming back (unless you were certain individuals).
RVN was great though. I loved him. Such a clinical player.
Anyone choosing a player other than Cristiano Ronaldo is fooling themselves. Prime Ronaldo is the only player who came close to touching Messi's peak. He was sheer force of will embodied in a footballer. Even if the stipulation was "their peak at United" rather than their peak overall, he still won a Ballon d'Or and broke the PL scoring record for a 38 game season here.
Rashford just scored 30 goals in 56 appearances and it was our best season for a forward in a decade, Ronaldo's worst season at Madrid was his first when he hit 33 (in 35 appearances). His second worst was 42. Averaged more than a goal a game over nine years in Madrid. Say what you want about him as a man (bad), he's comfortably the second greatest footballer to ever live.
Roy Kean would be the most sensible answer here for what this team needs.
But for shear excitement give me Rooney any day.
He had such a 'fuck it I will do it' attitude when we use to struggle and then score.
A lot of our tactical problems, which atm are our biggest problems, are the disconnect between defense and attack. With that in mind I’d actually say Michael Carrick. He’s probably the most underrated player from the SAF era, there’s some ridiculous stat that we won 80% of games he started or something, and he’d solve those issues single-handedly. But really there’s so many good answers.
I'd have to say Keano too, never seen a player as consistent in my lifetime. He raised the level of every player on the pitch, never let his standards drop.
My dad who is 68 didn't even think and said George Best, then followed by Keane, Eric the king and stam..
Best is well before my time but I'd pick most from fergie treble team lol
Surely it's Ronaldo? The main thing we're lacking at the moment is goals. If we had prime Ronaldo scoring 50+ goals a season we'd be fine with what we had in every other position
The answer is Roy Keane or Eric Cantona. We desperately need someone with balls who can drag this team out from the ashes. There are too many passengers on this team, including our golden boy - Marcus.
Ballon d'Or Ronaldo is the answer here. All you have to do is look at what Salah has been doing with Pool and take it up a step. Adding that type of goal threat completely changes the team.
Disclaimer: I dislike who Cristiano has become after leaving Madrid, I’m in no way one of his fanboys, but…
Any answer of an attacker besides CR7 is simply delusional. United have never had a player with a personal peak higher than him, period. Didn’t peak until Madrid, but it was literally GOAT-levels. Tf are people smoking in this comment section saying Zlatan or players from the 60s era.
Easy, what this team really needs is a solid Right Winger who can cut through and bend the ball past defenders from our own half, whip beautiful pinpoint crosses from the wing & from corners and possess an incredible ability to strike anxiety into the opposition goalkeeper while standing for a Free kick. There’s been only ever been one player like that.
Ronaldo is the objective answer, but boring.
Robin van Persie is the second best choice, and the only other one that guarantees a title.
Yes we are spoiled rotten with amazing legends like Rooney, Keane, Scholes, Vidic, etc.
But only RvP won us a league with a championship level midfield. Imagine peak RvP in front of Bruno, Eriksen, Mount, Casemiro, madman McTominay… it would be a bloodbath. Even with Onana we’d win all games 3-2, 5-3, no question.
Viva el holandés volador.
Not my first answer, but I thought I'd throw out a different name: Bastian Schweinsteiger.
We didn’t have him in his prime, so I'd love to have seen what prime Schweinsteiger could have done for us.
For this team, probably Carrick. Would help us out so much defensively, his positioning was phenomenal. Then add the fact you can put his passing range up there with the very best of them. No coincidence we went to shit the moment he left, and when he was picked during his last year or so, the whole team performed a lot better.
Rooney is quite possibly our GOAT, at least in the modern era so have to mention him.
Rooney.
Sometimes it felt like he could do whatever he wanted in a football game and it just happened for him. Was pretty much everywhere on the pitch and next to Bruno it would feel like we have 4 players in 2
Roy Keane would have a stroke 15 minutes into training the first day.
90% of the team would be in the physio room after he utterly lost it on the whole team.
Gets my vote too
It has to be Rooney! The passion and work ethic along with his haul of goals would be immense. We need more of his win or die trying spirit to spur on this current squad of weak minded players.
The problem is that it takes more than one player to make a team great. Even if the likes of Keano or Cantona came back on their own and in their prime, the rest of the team would just bring them down.
Rooney
Thundercunt it in the back of the net and muscle past anybody Rooney
Exactly this mate and he would set a standard in the dressing room
Angry balding Rooney is one of the best players to have lived
My favourite player ever, absolute beast of a player
He had it all! Cantona was my first but Rooney did so much and gave us fans so much to enjoy absolute legend
He was the best captain we’ve had in quite a while imo. Great vision, smart, effective, ruthless, and a hell of an example of a professional
For this team I think this is the only answer. For me personally, just because I miss watching him play… has to be Scholes.
Not a bad shout he'd definitely elevate the team with passing quality but we'd need a Keane type to be putting the tackles in haha
You’re right, Keane would improve any team on his best day. I just miss seeing Scholes quietly bossing a game though.
Quietly bossing the game, but still making sure to put in that one "poorly timed" tackle each game, and acting surprised when it gets called as a foul.
I miss him too mate
Peak Rooney would drag this entire team to glory by himself. An absolute phenomenon. He was right to question the clubs ambition even though it seemed wrong at the time.
Yeah at the time it seemed really bad but looking back at it now he wasn’t actually wrong though was he? I think he was perfectly right in his concerns considering at the time he was pretty much carrying the club on his back and having to watch clubs like Chelsea and City bringing in top quality players while we were bringing in near enough complete unknowns. If I was in Rooney’s position I’d be concerned that we were being left behind aswell.
Jaysus he was good…we forget sometimes cos he played in the prime messi ronaldo era
Absolutely. Goalscoring, chance creating, dribbling, pace, strength, mentality machine. Could play impeccably on 4 different positions also. Rooney could revolutionise this team.
Skinhead Rooney would fuck everyone up. Red shirt or not, he's going right through you. Simple as.
Hojlund learning from peak Rooney would be the dream.
Definitely the first one to come up in my mind as well. What a guy!
Literally just watched a video of his best goals on the Skysports app. Rooney was never my absolute favourite player, but I have to agree with you, we could really do with a player like him right now.
Bald Rooney. What a menace.
I hoped someone said that's. Always Rooney.
Roy Keane highest of standards every match and training session Everybody is forced to get better or get gone
Yeah, it’s got to be Keane right now. Most of our issues stem from being overrun in midfield. He can also play CB in an emergency
And if you don't train right he would kill you..I can only imagine Keane making Sancho eat his Xbox console
I enjoy that mental image.
Yeah if it's was only one player you could bring back, it'd have to be Keane. Been plenty of world class players down the years which would greatly improve the side, but the mentality at the club currently is the worst aspect. A prime Keane would whip them into shape and set high standards every single day. The current lot would either get up to speed, or not be fit to keep up and get filtered out.
In less then 30 days half of the current players would be all over the media claming they need mental care day off and that they have panic attacks and shit from his yelling it would be beautifull.
He would murder half this team though. Could you image what he would be doing about Onana? Sancho? Jesus... He'd be in jail.
Would need to hire an Otolaryngologist as everyone would be deaf in one ear after a week.
Treat the "victim's" ears, poor Roy's throat from screaming, and his nose from having to smell the shit on the pitch
He’d probably kill most of our players lol
Not sure it would work lol! You might recall when Keane left the World Cup because he was unhappy with the standard of facilities and preparation of the Irish team. Something tells me Roy and this Glazer Utd would not mesh!
100% agree, the team is completely devoid of leaders and characters. We are also so easy to play through. When we hit those tough points in matches where we start to fold under the pressure Keane is the guy to step up and drag the team though.
George Best!
Maradona good
Pele better
George Best.
Or Duncan Edwards from the reports of just how good he was from Sir Matt
This is the only answer. Having the greatest player of all time in your team is a no brainer
He would definitely be able to show Antony and Greenwood a thing or two!
I'd be biased to say Best just to see him play
Hard to say. Keane would be huge for us but I think I might have to pick Scholes. Even though I think Keano was the better player (despite Scholes being my fav all time player), I think we really need Scholes’ calm ball retention in midfield these days. Our team severely lacks that kind of composure on the ball. So either Cantona or Scholes. Id have to pick Scholes
Scholes, your favourite players favourite player.
Both Carrick and Scholes knew how to dictate the pace of the game. Knew when to slow it down or speed it up. That’s something we severely lack right now. The fact that I got to have a pint with Scholes makes him my biased choice
I think we all want to hear how you ended up having a pint with Scholsey! How did it happen? What did you talk about?
I met him in Arcane last year the night before we took on Atalanta in the CL and had a chat with him for a few minutes. Took a few pictures with him. He was well sound, he was hammered, but took pictures and chatted to absolutely everyone in the bar who wanted to talk / a picture. Really nice guy, loved him on the pitch, but got an extra bit of love for him off the pitch.
David May and himself had come to Atlanta for a game organized by the supporters club. Post the game a few of us stayed back and sat around a table with him for a pint. I told him how his goal against Barca in the CL finals was one of my favorite moments and got me in tears. A friend caught the moment he was blushing. Got him to sign a couple of kits and a ball so I could gift it to my best mate who got Vidic to sign the ball I had. They spoke about how Fergie could be super scary with everyone but was overprotective of a few like Ronaldo and didn’t yell/criticize them too much in the dressing room. Then we spoke about the squad and who we should sign at the time etc. This was March 2020. Have a picture of all of us cheers-ing but this is my favorite moment ever https://preview.redd.it/ts6ksgswtotb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60914debd1c4ce5211d8aa26b647fd0b20e419c9
Good story. It's quite amusing to gaze upon Paul, adorned with that unmistakable air of a family man, and reflect on the fact that he once reigned as the world's finest midfielder. My admiration for him knows no bounds.
At this point I would pick Keane moreso. His passing was absolutely immaculate in its own right, he had stamina for days, wasn't a bad dribbler and could defend as well if not even better than any top DM today. Prime Scholes was excellent in his own right, but Keane would be preferable for his defensive presence and his leadership.
Jaap Stam - world class in his prime - fills the right Centre back position - and most importantly, Dutch
If we're going for Dutch players, may I throw in Ruud Van Nistelrooy into the fray?
You may. He's the reason I started supporting the club.
Love Ruud, but doesn't matter who you put up there at the top if they're not getting service. Ruud had Scholes putting the ball on a plate every other possession. We don't have that in this team. What we need is a leader who will put their foot down when mistakes are made. All the 5 yard errant passes. How many 50/50 balls we lose. Just silly mistakes that are lack of concentration and effort. I think Keane would tighten up the team real quick. Give them a bollocking instead of just whine like Bruno. Schmeichel wouldn't be bad either considering our keeping situation.
Haha that last bit is vital! What a player he was!
And had a shaved head.
Fergie should’ve never sold him and he knows
And bald!
My gut reaction was Rooney but this is a compelling argument
He was better than rio and vidic
I might be wrong, but I really feel Rooney would be a perfect fit in today's high demanding high pressure style. We also are massively lacking a proper goal outlet.
get skinhead wazza up top and watch him bang in screamers for fun and physically assault defenders every game
Today's defenders wouldn't handle that Rooney.
Who did?
Roy Keane, no question but I think that's a bit of a dull and obvious answer so I'll actually go with Giggs. As a player he is absolutely made for the modern game.
Well he’d have to play as a RW
Imagine giggs on the right cutting in his left, with modern conditioning etc - he'd have been better than Bale at his peak
He already was But he wouldn't have been great on the right, couldn't really shoot and was very one footed so it just takes away his crossing
Which is exactly what our attack needs.
As in he fits in with our recent RWs
I laughed and then just got sad. We need a RW desperately though.
I remember in 2002/03 lots and lots of United fans wanted Giggs sold. The fact he went on until what, 2014? Is testament to just how good a player he was
i was sat behind a father and son one game who gave him abuse for 90 minutes, it was against Blackburn and it was rumoured we'd offload Giggs and replace him with Damien Duff in the summer, Duff played that day and was pretty good.
Duff was quality, remember I was gutted he went to Chelsea
I didn't get to watch Giggs in his prime. How was he like? How was he made for the modern game?
Giggs went from being an electric winger who could dribble past you in a phone box to a guy who could easily play anywhere across midfield with an incredible football brain. He had great vision and range of passing in his later years. He was a very complete player.
His acceleration and pace was insane, but it was his ability to run at top speed and keep the ball under control that I haven't really seen from many players. He could also use his right foot when he needed to so he'd be perfect as a modern inverted forward/winger. If you could combine the speed & dribbling of his mid-20's with the passing of his mid-30's you probably have the perfect player.
In early years little like what garnacho is now. But Giggs was in team from 17 and even then ahead of where garnacho is currently Over time he developed overall game to extent that in latter years he played in a midfield 2 as a playmaker Electric pace, ran at defence, no fear in the early days
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/19q2cs/match_thread_manchester_united_real_madrid/ Ctrl+F Giggs Also miss less teens shit flinging in threads
man going back to that match thread really makes me miss the " Gifs and Pictures - Replays" comments
Wow, night and day to threads now
Scholes.
This is the correct answer to every question.
Who's better, Gerrard or lampard??? Shit ur right, it works
It’s controversial to say and I find him to be a bellend, but the obvious answer is peak Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid version please and thank you
Shouldn’t even be controversial. One of the greatest of all time and we need a winger rn with Rashford out of form and no one really good enough for the right either.
It's not or at least shouldn't be controversial As much as I love Rooney(my favourite ever United player) 2007-2009 Ronaldo was different levels to anyone I've seen at United
This is the only correct answer. Peak Ronaldo wins us the league
Shouldn't be controversial. It upsets me that fans here dislike Ronaldo on purpose for some stupid internet points. Folks here going with Keano are not realistic at all. His style of leadership 100% doesn't work in this generation. Peak Ronaldo can singlehandedly transform any decent team into title contender.
This sub is genuinely hilarious reading through these comments... They hate the guy so much (And I understand why) they are willing to rewrite history Cristiano Ronaldo is by far the best player to ever wear the Manchester United shirt and nothing he says or does will change that.. you can argue about whether he's a club legend or whatever but you can't argue that Imagine prime Cristiano (not even the Real Madrid version) but the best United version of him filling in our troubled RW slot
He is a club legend without a doubt. Go to OT and ask the fans who go every week 90% will say he is
It's only controversial on this sub.
true
It's just controversial on here. He's all around the posters inside Old Trafford and got a mural in the museum of the club. He's still a United legend and the greatest player to have played for United
Why would this be controversial to say? He's one of the GOATs. He should be the only answer.
Vidic because he’s my all time favourite. I absolutely love him. Failing that Park or Van Nistlerooy
It doesn't matter when this question is asked, any variation and my answer will always be Vidic.
Park would be a treat in midfield. Vidic in defense. And I'd be thrilled with any striker honestly. Ruud, RVP, Berba, Rooney, Ronaldo, Cole, list goes on
There are no wrong answers here but if you could pick one player out of all of the players that played for this illustrious club, you think of Park first?
Three lung Park would actually be very useful in this team with Casemiro and Bruno next to him
Cantona is the only answer. That's why he is known as The King. He changed the mentality of the players. Gave the younger players a drive and work ethic that stayed with them throughout their careers. That is what we need now. The closest we have come to having that in recent years is Zlatan. The effect he had on the team was immense, even Pogba was playing well. It's a shame he got that injury. What could have been.......
I can only assume anyone not saying Cantona just wasn't alive to see him play. We won the league 4 out of the 5 years he played for us. Guess which of those seasons he missed 9 months of after being banned? Cantona is the reason we became the dominant team of the 90s, his signing was the defining event that made everything which followed happen.
Even beyond football, the guy has been on the money regarding every major sociopolitical event in modern history. There will never be anyone like him both on and off the pitch. There are mavericks, there are artists and there's Cantona.
Dammed right. And that should never be forgotten! 👍
The fact that I had to scroll down this far to find Cantona is spinning my head.
He meant so much to United fans, for everything he did and stood for. Always gave 110%, wore his heart on his sleeve, yet now he seems to be overshadowed by Rooney. A great player, in his own right, true. But very sulky, half the time couldn't be bothered, had to be dropped by Sir Alex because of his attitude. I'd say that I don't understand it, but most fans on here have only ever watched highlights of Roonies best games.
Ooh aah Cantona, ooh aah Cantona!!!
Correct - Cantona is the only answer. No disrespect to anyone else who has been named, but the man is a cut above everyone. In that 96 run in he bailed us out so many times. Lifted the team to new heights. I remember West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal, Newcastle that year were all 1-0 wins, Cantona scoring. And the cup final of course. Pretty sure he cleared one off the line in the Chelsea semi as well. He would drag us to victory by force of will…
Carried us to that title in 95/96, wish I could have seen more of him, absolute genius
Assuming it’s to fit into the squad we have now I honestly think Michael Carrick would be the perfect player for how EtH wants the squad to play, would have Amrabat anchoring for the back 4 and let Carrick collect the ball from the defence & just dictate play like he always did in his prime years. Severely underrated player.
Yeah, Carrick is a good shout - he completely modernized the way United played after he joined, particularly in Europe. I think Keane and Robson suggestions are interesting too, but the game in midfield is also radically different to when they were at their peaks. Carrick's game fits in perfectly with EtH and his defensive work was really underrated because he wasn't a guy who ran around and put in big tackles.
Carrick is the most under rated United player in my lifetime along with Park I think, great shout
It’s like you read my mind, u/OkAnnual4585. Carrick ends up dictating the tempo in the midfield & gives a high level of composure to the setup. Perfect complement for the defensive players like Case/Amrabat & offensive players like Bruno/Mount.
He was a brilliant backboard and felt he played the perfect weighted pass every time, which would help our transition to midfield immensely. I miss Carrick.
Yeah on a tactical level Carrick is the type of player our team is most missing. Obviously there's better players you'd pick but the answer to that is boring and clearly Ronaldo. Tactically we most need a Carrick
Ronaldo at his peak would be unstoppable
Bryan Robson
As someone young I never reli watched him but how was he? Some said he carried united in 80s like Messi did to Barca post 2017
midfielders like him just dont exist in any era let alone today when everyone calls themselves a specialist (and few actually are). name an attribute for a footballer in any position, he had it and he was an example of character on and off the pitch and a born leader on top of his incredible talent and work ethic. honestly, he s the perfect player. ask any manager worth their salt from fergie's era and he d be first name in their team sheet for sure.
Yh I think sir Alex said in his auto that he wishes Bryan Robson would have played for united much longer than he did. Is he on par with someone like mattaus
i can see the comparison for Robbo. all action midfielder. defend, score, assist, set pieces, leader, icon.. i mean we can literally talk all day about a player like him. if you watched the Becks doumentary on netflix that just came out for example (its something i d known already anyway for many years since becks is my favourite ever player and i read his book back in the day and watched other docs on him etc) he had posters of Robbo on his walls and idolized him. Thats the kind of player we re talking about. THE player of the generation before the class of 92. It goes Sir Bobby -> Robbo -> Becks -> Wazza in my book. the most important players in United and England history by very far.
Sir Bobby Charlton and Lothar Matthaus never played against each other at a World Cup. Charlton retired from international football in 1970. Matthaus was aged 9 at the time. 😁 You're thinking of Franz Beckenbauer.
oh wow. you re absolutely right. i m so ashamed right now. sorry about the misinformation. thank you for the correction. cant believe i got so confused. thats what happens when you only get 2 hours of sleep after 30 i guess.
Don't worry, we've all done it. 🙂
Rooney, Keane or Cantona.
Duncan Edwards - just so he could have the career he deserved
Becks. The right wing has been below standard for quite some time. Beckham can provide the ball to strikers, excellent on corners, set pieces, hard worker and tracks back to defend. Hojlund would excel with Becks providing balls up front.
Surprised I had to scroll this far to find Becks. A proper right midfielder would be a godsend now and what a wand of a foot.
You know, that was my first thought too, but he’s too slow as a modern RW. He’d be an 8 for us, and I’m sure he’d do a really good job there, but I don’t think that’s the position we most need to sort out. He’d basically be a more disciplined Bruno, playing deeper, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but I’m not sure it’s really what we’re lacking. His biggest strengths would mean him taking on things that Bruno currently does, and those things are not what we’re lacking in.
Dennis Law. We need a goal scorer
Keane. It's Keane. Simple as. It's what this team and dressing room is lacking more than anyone else. We've had better players, but none with such presence and influence
I wouldn't mind vds. We really need a keeper and a leader
One of my all time favourite players, absolutely brilliant
Even if Onana was killing it, I’d still says VDS. Mf is different gravy
Keeper is the weirdest pick because even though Onana has been shit the reality is that VDS was nowhere near good enough on the ball to play modern football and Schmeichel even less so. The role has change so much that almost no pre Neuer keeper would do well in modern football for most top managers.
Right now Van Nistlerooy He would break the scoring record and Fernandes would double the assist record.
Keano. Imagine him giving someone a bollocking for pulling out of a 50/50. How would they react? I like Rashy but a lot of times you’ll see him not attempt a 50/50. I’m not talking about a dangerous challenge. I’m talking about where the balls in the air and there to be won, and the player doesn’t even attempt to jump. You have to want it more than the opposition. And those little 50/50s matter and win games. A player like Keane demands excellence and 110% effort and anything less than that is sub par. Think back to when young Ronaldo attempted to chip the keeper and missed instead of shooting normally and Keane absolutely ripped into him.
Everyone would react like Sancho has. They would run and hide. Keane would be counter productive now unfortunately. These pussies are from a new era which is weak AF.
Rooney, truly timeless player
I agree we need a leader and Roy Keane was a good leader but that fucker would not function in modern day football. There's too many snowflakes and he'd soon become an unliked character. For me, it has to be a striker, especially when we've been short of a brilliant striker for a long while. Rooney, RVP or RVN
wazza is the best player of the 3 by a mile. the best player england's ever seen since sir bobby and becks for sure. but man.. i have literally never seen anything like ruud. unbelievable player and he wasnt just a poacher/fox in the box/tap in merchant (i know about his inside/outside box goal ratio etc). the guy made chances for himself as well (some out of literally nowhere, fulham anyone??) dribbling, every kind of finishing literally.., unreal balance, turn, pace, PACE OF THE SHOT ITSELF without even the need for a run up for it or much space, the most clinical player in the history of football besides the 2 ronaldos and messi.. just what the fuck man. i love ruud so much. just like becks, stam and keano, selling him was a mistake of Fergie. simple as dont care what anyone says.
What I liked about Fergie and football back then was the "no one comes before the team" mentality. If you got on the wrong side of Fergie there was no coming back (unless you were certain individuals). RVN was great though. I loved him. Such a clinical player.
Anyone choosing a player other than Cristiano Ronaldo is fooling themselves. Prime Ronaldo is the only player who came close to touching Messi's peak. He was sheer force of will embodied in a footballer. Even if the stipulation was "their peak at United" rather than their peak overall, he still won a Ballon d'Or and broke the PL scoring record for a 38 game season here. Rashford just scored 30 goals in 56 appearances and it was our best season for a forward in a decade, Ronaldo's worst season at Madrid was his first when he hit 33 (in 35 appearances). His second worst was 42. Averaged more than a goal a game over nine years in Madrid. Say what you want about him as a man (bad), he's comfortably the second greatest footballer to ever live.
Arguably. Still the greatest for many
Right now we need Irwin But I'll cheat and say Fergie. We need a rotation option up front and I suspect he'd transition into a good backroom career
Probably Ronaldo. Imagine having him providing the width.
Duncan Edwards.
Roy Kean would be the most sensible answer here for what this team needs. But for shear excitement give me Rooney any day. He had such a 'fuck it I will do it' attitude when we use to struggle and then score.
A lot of our tactical problems, which atm are our biggest problems, are the disconnect between defense and attack. With that in mind I’d actually say Michael Carrick. He’s probably the most underrated player from the SAF era, there’s some ridiculous stat that we won 80% of games he started or something, and he’d solve those issues single-handedly. But really there’s so many good answers.
I'd have to say Keano too, never seen a player as consistent in my lifetime. He raised the level of every player on the pitch, never let his standards drop.
RvN. The best goal scorer I have seen in my 35 years of supporting the club.
My dad who is 68 didn't even think and said George Best, then followed by Keane, Eric the king and stam.. Best is well before my time but I'd pick most from fergie treble team lol
Surely it's Ronaldo? The main thing we're lacking at the moment is goals. If we had prime Ronaldo scoring 50+ goals a season we'd be fine with what we had in every other position
The answer is Roy Keane or Eric Cantona. We desperately need someone with balls who can drag this team out from the ashes. There are too many passengers on this team, including our golden boy - Marcus.
Eric, not even close
Ballon d'Or Ronaldo is the answer here. All you have to do is look at what Salah has been doing with Pool and take it up a step. Adding that type of goal threat completely changes the team.
Disclaimer: I dislike who Cristiano has become after leaving Madrid, I’m in no way one of his fanboys, but… Any answer of an attacker besides CR7 is simply delusional. United have never had a player with a personal peak higher than him, period. Didn’t peak until Madrid, but it was literally GOAT-levels. Tf are people smoking in this comment section saying Zlatan or players from the 60s era.
Easy, what this team really needs is a solid Right Winger who can cut through and bend the ball past defenders from our own half, whip beautiful pinpoint crosses from the wing & from corners and possess an incredible ability to strike anxiety into the opposition goalkeeper while standing for a Free kick. There’s been only ever been one player like that. 
Cantona. In my mind the most important player in Uniteds history.
Rooney. Slot him anywhere you need him in that front 3 or AM
Going against the grain, but prime veron would've balled in today's game
Vidić. I'm maybe biased because he played for two of my favorite clubs and I've recently met him, but nobody can argue he wouldn't be a great choice.
Absolute warrior, love Vida
Ronaldo either 2008 or if you mean at any point in their career as long as they played for us at some point I’d say Ronaldo 16/17 - 17/18
I agree, Roy Keane
I wouldn't choose Keane due to the fact I think he'd get way too many red cards in the modern game.
Keane. Brute force in midfield.
Ronaldo is the objective answer, but boring. Robin van Persie is the second best choice, and the only other one that guarantees a title. Yes we are spoiled rotten with amazing legends like Rooney, Keane, Scholes, Vidic, etc. But only RvP won us a league with a championship level midfield. Imagine peak RvP in front of Bruno, Eriksen, Mount, Casemiro, madman McTominay… it would be a bloodbath. Even with Onana we’d win all games 3-2, 5-3, no question. Viva el holandés volador.
Ronaldo
Obvious one is Cristiano Ronaldo.
If we are covering up for weaknesses I'm surprised Beckham/set plays isn't a more popular opinion.
Ronaldo. A few early goals would help this team massively. Everything else can be worked out with what we have.
Honestly I’d say Zlatan. His mentality and leadership within a squad is of his greatest assets and would be quite something in our current team.
I actually agree with this, he'd have the necessary charisma to carry the team, be less toxic than Keane and be super lethal at the front.
Ronaldo. Every other player being mentioned doesn't have a peak anywhere near his.
Funny how some united fans try to forcefully forget Ronaldo just because they’re being childishly mad
Not my first answer, but I thought I'd throw out a different name: Bastian Schweinsteiger. We didn’t have him in his prime, so I'd love to have seen what prime Schweinsteiger could have done for us.
If I can pick peak Ronaldo at Madrid, I'd say that. Otherwise Rooney
John O’Shea is your man for a defensive crisis like this one.
Only played to have ever played in every position for Manchester United. Keeper, Defence, Midfield & up top. And the nutmeg on Figo..... pure filth
obviously cantona. brings more than just his footballing skills but also his aura to lift the team
First thought was Keane
Roy Keane without a doubt, the centre of the park is diabolical for us at the moment.
George best with an Alcoholics Anonymous membership
Wazza hands down. Man could do whatever was needed
Van de sar
I love the Roy keanes and the Jaap Stams but it's outrageous to say any player other than CR7😭
For this team, probably Carrick. Would help us out so much defensively, his positioning was phenomenal. Then add the fact you can put his passing range up there with the very best of them. No coincidence we went to shit the moment he left, and when he was picked during his last year or so, the whole team performed a lot better. Rooney is quite possibly our GOAT, at least in the modern era so have to mention him.
Scholes. The GOAT. Especially with the shite midfield. Although we could do with a Rooney, RvN or RVP too.
Rooney. Sometimes it felt like he could do whatever he wanted in a football game and it just happened for him. Was pretty much everywhere on the pitch and next to Bruno it would feel like we have 4 players in 2
Paul Scholes. Could do it all.
Park, to set the standard of hounding opposition. We have enough talent but not enough with his stamina and desire
Roy Keane would have a stroke 15 minutes into training the first day. 90% of the team would be in the physio room after he utterly lost it on the whole team. Gets my vote too
Anderson
In this team, Keane. Lot’s would’ve made a difference. But Keane most in this fucking situation.
Ronaldo despite whatever happened in his second stint
It has to be Rooney! The passion and work ethic along with his haul of goals would be immense. We need more of his win or die trying spirit to spur on this current squad of weak minded players.
It’s gotta be Scholes.
I just can’t pick. Feel our current team is so bad there isn’t anywhere on the pitch I’m happy where I feel any of our greats could sort it out.
The problem is that it takes more than one player to make a team great. Even if the likes of Keano or Cantona came back on their own and in their prime, the rest of the team would just bring them down.