Ranking the top 10 Manchester United forwards of all time

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Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest forwards to have graced Old Trafford

Football's a game in which all the positions command equal importance. A slight degradation in any of the areas is enough to make a team suffer in terms of results. However, in spite of the equal gravity they deserve, the midfielders and defenders always find themselves in the shadow of their forwards, solely for the fact that they create and score most of the goals.

Every great club on this planet has a bunch of astronomic attackers to boast about in their history and Manchester United is no different from them. The Red Devils have seen a number of peerless forwards grace their ranks throughout their sparkling history.

On that note, let's rank ten of their greatest frontmen to see who comes out on top.


#10 Jack Rowley

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Jack Rowley was an explosive striker

Not many of Manchester United's supporters might know about Jack Rowley; at least not those who started supporting the club in the recent decades. One of the only four players to score over 200 goals for the club, the Englishman was fondly nicknamed 'The Gunner', thanks to his explosive goal-scoring exploits.

Deployed as a left winger who eventually evolved into a center-forward, Rowley was excellent in the air and possessed a cannon of a left foot that oozed goals with sheer power. He scored 12 hattricks in his career, twice setting the record for goals in a league season (25 in 1946/47 and 30 in 1952/53).

In 12 seasons with Manchester United, Jack Rowley found the net 211 times in 421 appearances for the Red Devils.

#9 Ole Gunnar Solksjaer

Gareth Southgate of Aston Villa (left) goes for the ball with Ole Gunnar Solksjaer
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer(R) wasa nicknamed as the Baby Faced Assassin

The Baby-Faced Assassin.

Every die-hard Manchester United fan remembers the nimble-footed Ole Gunnar Solksjaer by that famous pseudonym. And they should too, for the Norwegian centre-forward was a match-winner in his times at the club.

As as a goal-poaching striker, he had all the attributes you would want to see in a traditional centrr-forward. He was quick-footed, clinical finisher and above all, a versatile player, the kind of which Sir Alex just loved having in his squad. And oh, hats off to his commitment; he was one of the most humble and hard-working players to don a United shirt.

Apart from all these qualities, the one characteristic that he was well-known for was his ability to score goals as a substitute. Solksjaer plundered a number of teams after coming from the bench to win games. The finest examples, perhaps, are his 4 goals in 10 minutes against Nottingham Forest and the winning goal against Bayern Munich in 1999.

For all his selfless services to the club, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has gone down as one of the greatest servants to have plied his trade for Manchester United. In 11 trophy-laden seasons at Old Trafford, the Norwegian frontman netted 126 goals in 366 games for the club

#8 Andrew Cole

Andy Cole and Ferdinand Feldhofer
Andy Cole is a Manchester United legend

English frontman Andrew 'Andy' Cole joined Manchester United for £7 million in January 1995. Being one of the Premier League's most famous journeymen, he is well-known for his trophy-laden six-year spell with the Red Devils.

Andy Cole was an amazing dribbler with a keen eye for goal. He possessed excellent positional sense, which is quite visible if you watch him combine effortlessly well with partner-in-crime Dwight Yorke. The fearsome strike partnership of Cole and Yorke has gone down as one of the best in the Premier League history.

Hardly anyone could challenge his ability in front of goal. Andy Cole is the third-highest goalscorer in the English top tier with 187 goals with a goals-per-game ratio that is actually higher than all-time leading goalscorer Alan Shearer.

Andy Cole plundered 121 goals in 275 appearances for Manchester United, going down as one of the finest strikers ever to have graced Old Trafford.

#7 Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United v Manchester City - Premier League
Ronaldo is one of the greatest no.7 players at United

Manchester United unearthed one of the game's finest sparkling gems when they signed an 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for a mere £12.8 million fee in 2003. The Portuguese became a quintessential piece in Sir Alex Ferguson's jigsaw that challenged Jose Mourinho's rising reign at Chelsea.

The last great player to don the number 7 shirt, Ronaldo was well-known for his terrific velocity, trickery and ability to score an unusual number from goals despite playing in a wide position. Also, his specialisations in free-kicks and penalties were the finer points of his attacking ammunition.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a great impact at Manchester United; he was the crowned jewel in a team that won the third Champions League title and dominated England with back-to-back Premier League titles. A hard-working and dedicated individual, the Portuguese talisman also underwent an astonishing and noteworthy transformation from a skinny lad to a well-built and agile forward.

To tell the truth, the £80 million Real Madrid paid to sign him looked gigantic back then, but his achievements at the Bernabeu are bound to compel you into thinking that it was a bargain deal after all. Ronaldo left to pursue his dream of playing for Los Blancos in 2009 with 118 goals under his belt in 292 appearances for Manchester United.

#6 Rudd Van Nistelrooy

Manchester United v Liverpool
Van Nistelrooy is one of Manchester United's greatest goal-poachers

Dutchman Rudd Van Nistelrooy signed for Manchester United after being scouted by Sir Alex's son Darren Ferguson. Let's say that the record £19 million fee they splashed back then turned out to be an excellent piece of business.

Rudd Van Nistelrooy has been criticized for being a tap-in master but he was far too better than that. An eagle-eyed goal-poacher as everyone knows him, he was also a prolific dribbler of the ball endowed with a brilliant sense of positioning; the very attribute that helped him to be in the right place for the right time frequently.

Also, the flying Dutchman was an aerial threat owing to his tall stature.

He scored 0.68 goals per game for Manchester United which is an impressive stat. But unfortunately, Van Nistelrooy became one of those footballers to leave United after a rift with Sir Alex Ferguson. He left the club with a praiseworthy tally of 150 goals in 219 appearances.

#5 Dennis Law

Denis Law
Denis Law is a part of the famous trinity at Manchester United

It was Dennis Law's inquisition for a record £115,000 fee from Torino that completed the famous Best-Law-Charlton triumvirate. Together, the trio won a number of trophies and has rightly gone down as one of the best trinities in the footballing folklore.

Denis Law was one of the most lethal marksmen of his generation. His nimble stature complemented well with his agility and pace. He had an amazing foresight for passes coupled with an uncanny knack for netting goals out of the most unusual circumstances. Also, the Scot was well-known for breaking the defensive lines of oppositions with his sharp tackling skills.

In an 11-year spell at Old Trafford, The King -- or Denis the Menace, netted 237 times in 404 games for the Red Devils. He is the third highest goalscorer in Manchester United's history and though his goal relegated United to the second division, Law is a legend in every right.

#4 Wayne Rooney

Stoke City v Manchester United - Premier League
Wayne Rooney is Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer

Now don't be surprised at how high he has been ranked in here. So many times throughout his footballing career, Wayne Rooney has been deprived of every ounce of respect he so richly deserves. That won't be the case today.

Many have questioned his loyalty to the club over two transfer requests but they fail to remember the fact that it was the Englishman who outstandingly carried United on his shoulders after Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez said their goodbyes to the club.

True, his abilities waned as the years passed by, but there hasn't been the tiniest difference in his fierce passion for the game. Until he hangs his boots, his obsession to win seems far from dying out.

Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United in 2004 as the costliest teenager from Everton, however, his outlet over the 13-year-spell have made him look like a bargain for just £25.6 million.

As the club's leading goalscorer, the Englishman was well-known for his eagle-eyed scoring abilities alongside the versatility to function in different positions on the pitch. Also, his work-rate during games deserves a special mention.

People might criticize or question his claim as a United great, but his achievements with the club have elevated him amongst the institution's pantheon of greats -- a place where he rightly deserves to be.

Wayne Rooney scored 253 goals in 559 appearances for the club before departing for his boyhood club Everton in 2017.

#3 Eric Cantona

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That upturned collar and piercing stare will be impossible to forget

Captain. Leader. Legend.

Frankly speaking, I am out of superlatives for describing my love for the mercurial Frenchman. Many of you might have missed watching him play, but there's no doubt that even reading excerpts of Eric Cantona's exploits at the club gives you joy and goosebumps.

The Frenchman signed for United in 1992 for a £1.2 million fee. It's a shame he retired in his early 30's and if it wasn't for his controversial life on and off the pitch, the supporters would have savoured a year or two more watching Cantona.

When it comes to the field, the tenacious number 7 was blessed with technique, skill and a resourceful finishing ability that oozed classy goals.

And oh, I would be sinning if I miss out on his leverage at the club. The irascible striker's contribution isn't limited only to the number of goals he scored. Lovingly known as The King the United faithful, the striker became the focal point of United's revival as a footballing force in England and the world.

In his five-year spell from 1992 to 1997, the captain found the net 82 times in 185 games for Manchester United. It will be impossible to forget him, for he was a roaring lion in every sense both on and off the pitch.

#2 Sir Bobby Charlton

England v Estonia - UEFA EURO 2016 Qualifier
Sir Bobby Charlton was Man United's all-time leading goalscorer before Wayne Rooney

Manchester United's tragic history of the Busby Babes holds a crucial importance in their success. It was the disaster that kickstarted their unquenchable thirst for glory -- to prove to the world that they won't be bullied by tragedy into discontinuation as a football club.

As a survivor of the crash, Sir Bobby Charlton played a major part in the rehabilitation of Manchester United back then. The English forward extended a peerless contribution in the form of the 249 goals he scored, over a tenure of 17 years for the Red Devils.

An extremely talented dribbler, the Englishman earned a wide reputation for his cannon-blast shots and ferocity to score goals from distances. His dribbling and pace added to his already rich arsenal of attacking talents, making him one of the greatest forwards of all time. Also, the two other finer attributes of Bobby Charlton were his stability and reliability as a big game player.

Thanks to his surfeit of abilities, he became the club's as well as the nation's leading goalscorer, only to be surpassed by Wayne Rooney in the modern era. In every sense of the word, Sir Bobby Charlton will remain an undying symbol of Manchester United.

#1 George Best

George Best
George Best kickstarted the tradition of the number 7 shirt at Old Trafford

I think I have found you a genius.

That's exactly what United scout Bob Bishop's telegram to Sir Matt Busby read after he discovered the legend as a 15-year-old in Belfast. From what he produced on the pitch, it wasn't hard enough to tell the kid would achieve greatness in the years to come.

George Best had the world at his feet in the 11 years that he spent at Manchester United. In terms of playing style, El Beatle was endowed with a blistering pace and a gift -- much like Leo Messi -- to change directions at any pace at will. The winger's two-footedness, dazzling dribbles and feints were a crucial reason why he bulldozed past the defences with utmost ease. Also, his uncanny balance deserves a worthy mention alongside his clinical finishing abilities that produced 181 goals in 474 appearances.

And, it shouldn't be necessary to discuss his contribution to United's success as a part of the Best-Law-Charlton trinity. Everyone is well aware of it, isn't it? However, the fact that he kickstarted the tradition of the number 7 shirt at Old Trafford shouldn't go unnoticed.

He earned countless plaudits from other geniuses, but Pele calling him the 'best player in the world' is perhaps the stand out of all praises. As for the fans, they couldn't have described him better in the world famous saying:

Maradona good. Pele better. George Best.

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Edited by Rahul Venkat