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Whilst it is accurate that United have always been known for their attacking flair and devastating counter-attacks, the club has also employed some of the best defenders to have played in the Premier League. Let’s have a look at 5 of the best defenders to have played for Manchester United.
#5 Gary Pallister
Englishman Gary Pallister is the most predictable player on this list. Whenever he stepped on the pitch, you knew what you'd get from Pallister - consistency. At 6'4", he was a man mountain in the heart of the United defence and formed a great partnership with Steve Bruce (who also features on this list) and played almost every match partnering him until the 1995-96 season, when Bruce moved to Birmingham City.
Signed in 1989 for a national record fee, which also was the highest fee between British clubs by Sir Alex Ferguson before the Premier League began, he played for United for nine seasons. His stay at United intertwined his two spells at Middlesbrough.
He won the Premier League four times in five seasons from 1992-93 to 1996-97. He also won the FA Cup thrice and the League Cup (now known as the Carabao Cup) in 1992. He also helped United clinch the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1991 and the UEFA Super Cup in 1992. In all, he made 317 appearances for the club scoring 12 goals, most notably scoring twice against Liverpool in a 3-1 win away at Anfield in the 1996-97 season. He retired after three seasons at Middlesbrough in July 2001.
#4 Steve Bruce
No United fan can forget Steve Bruce's two goals late on in the victory against Sheffield Wednesday which gave United their first top flight title in 26 years and crowning them first Premier League champions.
Signed from Norwich CIty in 1987, he developed into a solid and dependable all-round player at United. He was particularly noted for his calm passing of the ball, and his ability to control it under pressure, often with his chest.
He was well known for continuing to play even when injured, most notably returning to the United team at short notice in 1992 even though he was awaiting an operation on a hernia, something that would endear previous manager Jose Mourinho.
Bruce was also known for his unusually high goalscoring rate for a centre-back, resulting from a combination of his ability to powerfully head the ball and his effectiveness in taking penalties. He scored 36 goals in just 309 apperances for United. In the 1990-91 season, he scored an incredible 13 goals!
At United, he won the Premier League and the FA Cup thrice as well as the League Cup, the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup and the UEFA Super Cup once. His partnership with Gary Pallister was phenomenal. The pair were affectionately known as Dolly and Daisy, was the earliest great centre-back partnership in the Premier League and remains one of the best to this day.
He left the club in 1996 for Birmingham City eventually finishing his career at Sheffield United in 1999. At present, he is the manager of the EFL Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
#3 Nemanja Vidic
Vidic was sent off against arch-rivals Liverpool on four occasions, thrice in consecutive games against the old enemy. The fact that he remains a Manchester United legend and one of the best centre-backs to have graced the Premier League despite that dastardly statistic is a testament to the man's talent.
'He comes from Serbia and he'll murder ya', sang the fans and Vidic always obliged, murdering countless opposition attacks in the process. His biggest assets were his consistency, awareness, strength and his aerial abilities. Praised for his aggressive, no-nonsense defensive style by his Manchester United team-mates, he is highly regarded for his on-the-pitch bravery, playing through several injuries and knocks.
Signed for a meagre sum of £7 million from Spartak Moscow, Vidic was slowly initiated in the Premier League and found settling in England difficult. He then formed one of (if not) the best centre-back partnerships with Rio Ferdinand (next). During his eight and a half seasons at United, he helped the club to 5 Premier League titles, 3 League Cups, 5 Community Shields, the 2008 UEFA Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. He left United at the end of the 2013-14 season and joined Inter Milan on a free transfer. A season and a half later, with injuries taking its toll on his body, he retired from professional football in January 2016.
#2 Rio Ferdinand
It was almost impossible to choose between Rio and Vidic but Ferdinand clinches the #2 spot simply because he made more than 100 appearances more than Vidic and was at United longer.
Ferdinand was considered an atypical defensive product of English football due to his more elegant, "continental" style of defensive play; in particular, he was singled out for his unique technical ability and confidence on the ball, as well as his distribution and ability to play the ball on the ground. He is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, and as one of England's best ever centrebacks. In his prime, he was also praised for his pace and tackling, in addition to his positioning and ability to read the game. He was also a strong defender who was reliable in the air with strong leadership qualities.
Ferdinand was signed from arch rivals Leeds United in 2002 for £30 million. Although at the time it was the highest fee paid for a British player and the highest fee paid for a defender, it proved to be an absolute bargain. In his twelve seasons with United, Rio made 455 appearances and won the Premier League six times, the Community Shield four times, the League Cup twice, the 2008 Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. He scored the final goal of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at United, a winner in the 2-1 win against Swansea City.
He left the club in 2014 for Queens Park Rangers and retired in 2015. He has been a noted football pundit. He announced his intention to become a professional boxer, partly to help him cope with the death of his wife. He has been linked with a return to Manchester United as a Technical Director.
#1 Jaap Stam
Selling Jaap Stam to Lazio for £16.50 million in 2001 was Sir Alex's worst mistake and the greatest club manager of all time acknowledges it. He said the move made sense financially, but in the footballing sense, it was Sir Alex's most imprudent decision.
Jaap Stam is of the best centre-backs to have played in the Premier League.
He was known for possessing a rare combination of speed, strength and ball-playing ability as well as an excellent positional sense. With him at the back, United rarely conceded goals. He played at United at a time when the team had a great mix of players (Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Nicky Butt etc.) who could mix finesse with solidity.
Stam was signed from PSV Eindhoven for £10.6 million. The lofty fee made the most expensive Dutch footballer at the time. Spanning three seasons, he made 127 appearances for the club scoring just once. Guess all he knew was to not let anyone score goals! He won the treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League in his first season with the club. He also won the Premier League in both of his remaining seasons with the club and also claimed the 1999 Intercontinental Cup.
After leaving United at the end of the 2000-01 season, he played for Lazio, AC Milan (where he helped the club reach the 2005 Champions League final) and Ajax before retiring in 2007. At present, he is the manager of the Eredivisie side, Feyenoord.
