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The heritage and pride of Manchester United stretch back to the era of the famous 'Busby Babes' to the emergence of talented young blood in the Ferguson-led Class of '92. In all these different eras, the club has been able to maintain a rock solid foundation of success and winning football matches.
The brand that is Manchester United has only grown and keeps on growing with a huge fan base globally. Sir Alex Ferguson is undoubtedly the most successful manager in United's history.
On top of winning a record 13 Premier League titles, he was known to have a keen eye for players. Finding a winning combination is at most times a puzzle for managers.
Ferguson normally used to know the right kind of players to bring to his side and had a no-nonsense policy for players he felt behaved like they were bigger than the club. That is why top players like David Beckham and even Roy Keane were shown the door when they took on the manager.
With so many great players who have passed through the club, it is hard to pin a fork on the greatest of all time given the circumstances of football then and now. However, in the last decade, there are those players who wore the Red Devils' jersey with pride and delivered solid performances.
When combined with some of the members of the current squad then it would be an outright tough team to beat in a compact 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: David De Gea
The Spanish first-choice goalkeeper is one of the very best in the world today. It was reported that Ferguson indeed spotted De Gea when he was just 19 years of age at Atletico Madrid and he has since gone to impose himself as United's best player in the last five seasons.
With a goalkeeper like him, any United team (past or present) would be assured when he puts on his safe pair of gloves in goal. De Gea has been known to make saves on goal-bound attempts even though they had a high probability of conversion.
His reflex saves and agility is unrivalled in the world of football today.
Centre-Backs
Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand were beasts at the back for United. They stood their ground and kept a lot of opposition attackers at bay.
They were at the helm when United enjoyed a good run of consistency when they always reached the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League from 2007 to 2011.
In fact, United reached back-to-back finals in 2008 and 2009 on top of the final in 2011. They were crowned champions in 2008 after a pulsating final against Chelsea. Both Ferdinand and Vidic were instrumental in that campaign.
Combined, they made over 750 appearances for United in a spell that they enjoyed much success as an aggressive defence partnership.
Full-Backs
Having started his United career as a right winger, Antonio Valencia has quickly evolved into one of the best right-backs in the Premier League. He has even scored 25 goals for United in over 300 appearances.
With a good physique and strength, Valencia has owned that position in the last couple of years. The attacking mentality is still there and he still loves to go forward.
As an advantage, he has the speed to track back and hold his defensive line too. He was captain for United in the 2017/18 season in the long-term absence of Michale Carrick and is highly tipped to continue with the role on a permanent basis.
French defender Patrice Evra offered great service to United in nearly a decade at the club. What he lacked in height, Evra compensated with good defensive intelligence and speed.
He represented United on over 350 occasions and was integral in the Red Devils' five Premier League titles in eight seasons.
In his earlier years, he was moulded as an attacker. It is no surprise that he loved to go forward at every opportunity. During his latter United years, he was also a surprise target man in the box during set pieces.
Central midfielders
The flamboyant Paul Pogba is an epitome of a proper midfield player. He has the height, physique, burst of speed, and technical footballing gift.
When United let him go in 2012, he became so good that they had to part with a then world record transfer fee of £89.5m to re-sign him.
In this team, Pogba can offer his vision and a great range of passing to feed the attacking players. His excellent ball control and retention would be crucial in any United side and he is a definite first pick in the starting line up.
In his 12-year career at United, Michael Carrick contributed and gave it his all. He scored goals, could spot the runs behind defences, and, most importantly, brought a calming presence to United's team.
This was noted in the majority of his 400 plus appearances for the Old Trafford outfit. Whenever he played, Carrick would offer leadership and slow down the game to thwart the opposition pressure.
The former United captain would protect the back four in this role and interplay with the attackers apart from controlling the tempo of the game.
Wingers
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest exports to come out of United. In his best season, Ronaldo scored a whopping 42 goals for the Red Devils.
As a winger, he has the speed to get past players with ease and distribute the ball to the forwards. He also has the height and leap for set-pieces and can score in a variety of ways.
These include; headed goals, left foot, right foot and some other inexplicable ways from set-pieces.
He scored 118 goals for United and developed from a hot prospect drawn from Portugal to be an elite footballer that bewildered the world and even won a Ballon d'Or at United.
Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in United's history with 34 trophies in all competitions. He made 963 appearances and scored 168 goals in all competitions.
It is only befitting that Giggs takes up his favourite wing position. In his prime, Giggs was a speedy and trick-happy winger who could torment defenders.
He also had a wicked left foot that could drill in crosses and free kicks to create goal scoring chances.
Forwards
Wayne Rooney left a huge void when he left for Everton in 2017 after he gave United supporters beautiful memories for over 13 seasons. He finished his career at Old Trafford as the all-time record goalscorer with 253 goals.
Rooney knows how to find the back of the net and that is why he will be positioned as the furthest forward player. He is also a good passer of the ball and can drop down to the attacking midfield position when the wingers make forward runs.
Robin van Persie was the signing of the season in 2012 when he controversially joined from rivals Arsenal. Ferguson's decision to bring him on board paid off quite brilliantly.
His 26 goals in the Premier League delivered the title in what was Ferguson's last season. Van Persie scored 48 goals in 86 appearances for United.
His ratio of at least a goal every two matches means that he understands how to find the target. His wicked left foot for shots and free-kicks is a bonus for this team.
He is also good in the air and a player like him does not require any second invitation when through on goal.
