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When someone thinks of United in the modern era, they immediately think of free-flowing, attacking football.
This is certainly something which was commonplace during Sir Alex Ferguson's time.
Perhaps the greatest example of this is the 5-3 win vs Tottenham in 2001, which United fans will have fond memories of. Despite being 3-0 down at half-time, United somehow roared back to win the game 5-3, with the scoring capped off with an exquisite David Beckham strike.
Sir Alex's final season as manager (2012/13), was characterized by a number of high scoring games, with United often being 1 or 2 goals down before roaring back to win through the sheer force of the attacking prowess they possessed at the time (Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez etc.).
However, for all the great attacking traditions of the club, many of the team's title wins have been based on a rock-solid defence, bolstered with an exceptional goalkeeper or two (Peter Schmeichel, Edwin Van Der Sar, David De Gea, maybe not Massimo Taibi).
The Red Devils' attack may have received most of the plaudits in years gone by but the defence deserves ample recognition as well.
So here is a look of 5 top defenders to have played for Manchester United in the Premier League era:
#5 Gary Neville (1992-2011)
In terms of pure footballing skill, Neville may not have been one of the flair players, but he is the very definition of the word 'club legend'.
Part of the legendary 'Class of 92' crop, he always gave his all in a United shirt and he had a real passion for the club, even though he occasionally got into trouble for it!
That just endeared him further to the fans, who regarded him as one of their own. Seeing as Neville hailed from Bury, that is probably true.
In his early career, he was more of an attacking full-back, forming a great partnership with David Beckham for club and country. Towards the end of his career, his abilities declined, hence his self-enforced decision to retire in 2011.
Nonetheless, that should not detract from an illustrious career at the club, where he won every single trophy possible at club level.
#4 Antonio Valencia (2009-present)
When Sir Alex Ferguson signed Valencia way back in 2009, it was with the intention of playing him as a winger, mainly to fill the Cristiano Ronaldo shaped hole.
However, since then, Valencia has dovetailed nicely between defence and midfield and for the last 3 or 4 years, he has been used exclusively as a defender by Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
He makes the list for numerous reasons, firstly for being one of the best right backs in the Premier League despite being on the wrong side of 30.
Even more impressive is the fact that he has managed to convert from being a winger to being a regular starter in defence.
After a stellar season in 2011/12 (where he and Wayne Rooney were United's best players), he didn't do quite as well in 2012/13, which was the start of a transition to his current position.
Despite a few teething problems, he has transferred some of his greatest assets to his new position (explosive dribbling and pin-point crossing) and is now one of the first names on Mourinho's teamsheet.
#3 Patrice Evra (2006-2014)
When Sir Alex signed Evra back in January 2006 (along with a certain Nemanja Vidic), even he could not have foreseen the impact Evra would have at the club in his 8 and a half year stay at Old Trafford.
When Evra eventually left in the summer of 2014, he departed as a genuine legend.
He was always tenacious in the tackle and read the game extremely well, even if he could be occasionally erratic in the tackle (Aaron Lennon famously had the better of him).
He always provided an attacking outlet with regular assists and even became a scorer of goals towards the end of his time with the club, his final ever strike for United being an absolute cracker against Bayern Munich (even if it was ultimately to no avail).
Patrice became a fans' favourite as followers of the Red Devils recognized and admired his passion for the club.
Evra's career may have declined since leaving United (he's now a reserve at West Ham, along with Javier Hernandez, another former Red Devil) but he'll always be fondly remembered by the Old Trafford faithful.
#2 Nemanja Vidic (2006-14)
The team might currently have another enforcer with the first name of Nemanja, but he's not a patch on Vidic.
As mentioned in the previous slide, he was signed with United alongside Evra in the winter of 2006 and although he initially struggled to impose himself on the first team (strangely back then Mickael Silvestre and Gabriel Heinze were picked ahead of him), 2006/07 was Vida's breakthrough season where he started to demonstrate his true class in a partnership with Rio Ferdinand.
In previous seasons, the centre of the defence had been lightweight, but that all changed once he signed. The Serbian was a formidable barrier which strikers could rarely pass, in a similar manner to his predecessor, Jaap Stam.
He was also an attacking threat, scoring numerous important headed goals, even if injuries did plague his later career. Nevertheless, it's no surprise that United won the title in each of Vidic's first 3 full seasons at the club.
#1 Rio Ferdinand (2002-2014)
All the previous entrants on this list certainly merit their inclusion but what sets apart Ferdinand is his class and elegance which is a rarity in an English defender.
Of the current English defenders, John Stones is perhaps the defender most comparable to Ferdinand, but Stones has a long way to go before he can match Ferdinand's achievements in the game.
On joining the Red Devils from Leeds in 2002 (which further increased the hatred between the clubs) as a fresh-faced 24-year-old, Ferdinand would become the mainstay of 3 different title-winning sides at the club: the 2002 vintage (Beckham, Keane etc.), the 2006-2009 side (the Rooney and Ronaldo era) and finally the 2012-13 team (Van Persie).
Along with Vidic, he was half of a partnership which led United to 5 titles in 7 seasons and which became one of the best sides in the world. His silkiness and calm on the ball perfectly complemented Vidic's more physical approach.
Ferdinand can lay claim to being one of the best centre-halves in the club's history and certainly the best they've ever had in the Premier League era.
