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Manchester United are the most successful team in the Premier League era. They have won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two UEFA Champions League titles since the rebranding of the league. The club enjoyed their most successful period under Scotsman Sir Alex Ferguson between 1992 and 2013.
Ferguson was known to set up his Manchester United team to play simple but effective football. He preferred a 4-4-2 system and played with that for almost the entirety of his managerial career. Under Ferguson, players like Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed prolific spells.
Rooney is United and England's all-time top scorer with 253 and 53 goals, respectively. The striker won 16 trophies with United.
However, the great Manchester United teams of the past, too, have had players who are often overlooked. These players often played fewer minutes than the main stars, but were key to the club's rise to the top of English football.
Without further ado, here's a look at the five most underrated Manchester United players of the Premier League era:
#5 John O'Shea
John O'Shea was born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1981. The Irishman was a Manchester United academy product, and came through the ranks at Carrington. He made his senior for the Red Devils in 1999. O'Shea also played for Sunderland for eight years between 2011 and 18, and a season at Reading after that.
He was known for his efficient style of play that often went under the radar. He wasn't the quickest player, but used his physique effectively to protect the ball and contest aerial duels. The former Manchester United man was also a very versatile player. He played across all four defensive positions in a back four throughout his club career.
Although a defender, O'Shea also scored clutch goals; he once did so in an away game against United's fierce rivals Liverpool. The Irishman scored in the last minute to hand United a win on the night.
John O'Shea made a total of 394 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 15 goals and assisting 23.
With the Red Devils, O'Shea won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup and one UEFA Champions League title. He also represented the Republic of Ireland 118 times, and ranks third in their all-time appearances list.
#4 Darren Fletcher
Darren Fletcher was born in Dalkeith, Scotland, in 1984. He, too, came through the ranks at Manchester United's academy in Carrington. Fletcher made his senior debut for the club in 2003, and enjoyed 12 successful years in Manchester. He later represented West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City for short spells.
Fletcher was usually deployed in a box-to-box role in midfield - one he excelled at. The Scotsman was known for his tenacity, grit and determination. He was an energetic presence in United's midfield, and rarely seemed to tire. Fletcher was an extremely versatile player, and played in various position,s including as a full-back, winger and centre-back.
He also scored some important goals during his United career, netting a brace in a stunning 4-3 win over arch-rivals Manchester City in 2009.
You can watch the full match highlights here:
Darren Fletcher made 342 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 24 goals and setting up a further 29. He won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one Club World Cup and one Champions League title with United.
Fletcher also made 80 appearances for Scotland, scoring five goals. He retired from the sport in 2019, and is currently working as Manchester United's technical director.
#3 Ole Gunnar Solksjaer
Former Manchester United player and manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was born in Norway in 1973. He came through the ranks at Clausenengen, and made his senior debut for the club in 1990. He played for Molde for a brief period before joining Manchester United in 1996. He enjoyed the most trophy-laden spell of his career with the Red Devils.
Solksjaer was one of the most lethal strikers in his native Norway. For his first club Clausenengen, Solksjaer scored 115 goals in just 109 games, helping earn them promotion to the Norwegian Second Division in 1993. He played 369 games for Manchester United, scoring 126 goals and providing 52 assists.
The Norwegian scored one of the most important goals in Manchester United's history. He netted a last-gasp winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final to confirm United's continental treble.
You can watch the highlights from that game here:
Solskjaer won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League with Manchester United as a player. He also managed his beloved United side between 2018 and 2021, helping them finish runner-up in the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League.
He was stripped of managerial position in November 2021 after a string of poor results. Solskjaer is currently without a job.
#2 Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick was born in Wallsend, England, in 1981. He came through the youth ranks at West Ham United, and made his senior debut for the club in 1999. Carrick later represented Tottenham Hotspur for a while before moving to Manchester United in 2006. It was at United where he established himself as a top-class midfielder and leader.
Carrick mostly played as a deep-lying midfielder who pulled the strings for United in attack. He did not rely on physical abilities, such as pace, stamina or strength, but used his tactical awareness and positional play to his advantage. His playmaking abilities and distribution are compared with top midfielders across Europe.
The Englishman made 464 appearances for United, scoring 24 goals and assisting 37. He won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Champions League title with Manchester United. He recently left the club after 15 years of service to the club as a player, coach and caretaker manager.
Carrick also made 34 appearances for England in his illustrious career. He retired from the sport as a player in 2018.
#1 Park Ji-sung
Park Ji-sung was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1981. He played for his school and college teams before making his professional debut with the Kyoto Purple Sanga in 2000. Park enjoyed a successful career in Europe with PSV Eindhoven, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester United.
The South Korean played 204 games for the Red Devils, mainly coming off the bench. He scored 28 goals and provided 29 assists during his spell in Manchester.
Park was well known for his off-the-ball movement, wor -rate, boundless energy and ability to pop up in the right place at the right time. He was also nicknamed 'Three-Lungs Park' for his incredible stamina.
He played in various roles in midfield, including attacking midfielder, wide midfielder and second striker. He proved to be one of the Premier League's most astute purchases of all time.
Park won four Premier League titles, one FIFA Club World Cup and one Champions League with Manchester United.
He also made 100 appearances for South Korea, scoring 13 goals. He was part of the team that remarkably finished fourth at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Park retired in 2014 following a second spell with PSV Eindhoven. He is currently involved with QPR's U-16 team as a coach.
