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The 2010s have not been kind to Manchester United. The early part of this decade was a fruitful one for the club as they reached the Champions League final in 2011 and won the Premier League twice. However, post the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, things went downhill for the club.
The appointment of David Moyes did not yield the expected results and the team was a shadow of itself. Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal did not fare much better, although they were rewarded with a couple of domestic trophies and the Europa League title.
Currently, it is former United player Ole Gunnar Solskjær who is at the helm of the club, but even his tenure has been marred with inconsistencies and his future remains uncertain.
Regardless, there have been some good players who have represented Manchester United this decade. Here, we take a look at the best amongst those, as we assemble an all-decade eleven for the Red Devils.
Defence
David De Gea
This one is a no-brainer. A five-time inductee into the PFA Team of the Year and the winner of three consecutive Manchester United Player of the Year Awards (four in total), there is no debate that David De Gea has been the best player for the Red Devils this decade.
If not for the Spaniard, Manchester United may not have had the little amount of success they have had post Sir Alex Ferguson. The goalkeeper almost left for Real Madrid a few years ago, but eventually stayed at the club and has made a name for himself as one of the best in the world at what he does.
Antonio Valencia
Although originally starting off his career as a winger, Valencia ended his ten-year stint with Manchester United as the club captain and a competent right-back. The Ecuadorian moved to his home country last summer having won almost everything there is to win at Manchester United, including two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Europa League.
Valencia was twice named the Manchester United Players' Player of the Year and also won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award. He was a solid presence at the back for the club for many years, and just pips Rafael Da Silva for a spot in this team.
Rio Ferdinand
Although much of Rio Ferdinand's peak with the Red Devils came before 2010, excluding him from this list would be unfair. In this decade, Ferdinand has won the Premier League twice, reached a Champions League final, and has been named into the PFA Team of the Year in 2013. He hung up his boots in 2014, but which centre-back has earned the right to displace him from this list since then?
A physical and dominating defender who was brilliant in the air, Ferdinand now works as a pundit on TV. His place in the history of Manchester United, and on this list, is not up for debate.
Nemanja Vidic
Just like his partner at the back, Nemanja Vidic did have the best moments of his career before 2010. However, not putting one of Manchester United's greatest defenders on this list would be a crime.
Vidic first joined the club in 2006 and established a strong partnership with Ferdinand which helped United dominate the footballing world. His elite mentality and leadership at the back has not been replaced by the club yet, and even though the latter part of his career was marred with some injuries, the likes of Smalling and Jones have not done enough to warrant a place here.
The partnership of Vidic-Ferdinand is set on this list.
Patrice Evra
An eccentric personality, Patrice Evra's inclusion on this list is another no-brainer. Evra was voted into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on three occasions, with one of those appearances coming this decade.
He has won a lot with the Red Devils, and at his peak, Evra was a pacy, strong fullback who was a menace on both ends of the pitch. The Frenchman played a key role in United’s 2011 and 2013 Premier League victories, and he is one of the best left-backs they have ever had. Luke Shaw was signed to replace him in 2014, but he has not even had half the impact that Evra had for the club.
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Midfield
Michael Carrick
Perhaps the most underrated player in the history of the club, Michael Carrick is one of the most decorated English players of all time. He spent 12 years with the Red Devils and captained them for a while, and now serves as an assistant coach f=at the club.
He was the club's Players' Player of the Year in the 2012-13 season (which was the last time they won the league) and was included in the PFA Team of the Year in the same season. A solid presence in the middle of the park, Carrick was a great servant for the club.
Paul Pogba
To be fair, Paul Pogba has not lived up to the lofty expectations that surrounded him when he was signed for a then world-record fee of £89 million in 2016. Despite that, the former Juventus player has won a couple of trophies at the club. On his day, Pogba is easily the best player to wear a United jersey right now.
When in form, Pogba is a hard player to stop. He can dribble the ball with ease, shoot with accuracy from over 25 yards, and his vision is supreme. Pogba has been involved in over 60 goals in just over 140 appearances for the club, and that is despite the constant managerial and tactical changes the club has gone through.
Although his best is yet to come for the Old Trafford outfit, a lot of criticism for the World Cup winner has been over the top.
Juan Mata
Signed from Chelsea in 2014, Juan Mata has been one of the few players who has performed consistently for Manchester United over the past five years. Mata has scored 43 goals and assisted a bunch of others for the Red Devils, with his most famous appearance involving a brace at Anfield in 2015.
A fan-favourite, Mata's best days seem behind him at this point. However, his contributions to the FA Cup and Europa League victories cannot be understated, and the Spaniard deserves his place on this list.
Attack
Luis Nani
Although the Portuguese never became the world-class player many fans thought he could be, Nani's tenure at Manchester United was a success. Winning two Premier League titles this decade wherein he was the starting winger, Nani was the Manchester United Players' Player of the Year in 2010–11. He also made the PFA Team of the Year in the same season.
The winger was not at his best after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, but his three consistent years at the start of this decade are enough to place him on this list over the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Wayne Rooney
After the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney and Manchester United had become synonymous with one another. Having won it all with the club, Rooney left the Red Devils after 13 years of outstanding service. He is the current all-time leading goalscorer for the club, and his contributions to all the trophies United have won this decade are of utmost importance.
This decade, he was elected PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2010 and has twice been voted onto the PFA Team of the Year. He was also chosen as the Premier League Player of the Season back in 2010 and made his way into the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2011.
His overhead winner against Manchester City in 2011 is arguably the greatest goal in club history. All in all, Wayne Rooney is simply one of the best to ever play for Manchester United.
Robin van Persie
Signed from rivals Arsenal in 2012, Sir Alex Ferguson spent £29 million on the then 29-year-old striker. One year later, Robin van Persie won the Golden Boot and was the star player as he helped the Red Devils secure their 20th league title.
Although his time at the club was short, van Persie scored 28 goals for the club post his historic run in 2013 and made an instant connection with the fans. It was sad to see how his stint ended at Old Trafford, but his performance that season will remain etched in the history of the club, and warrants him a place here.
