No Cantona, no Keane, no Neville.
There are a few question marks hanging over Chris Smalling’s pick for the greatest Manchester United XI, not least his decision to plop himself between Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in a three-man defence.
Using the United By You tool, Smalling said: “I think I need to stay because I think you’ve got to back yourself.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U5dH3l4y50
Smalling and goalkeeper David De Gea are the only current United players selected by the Red Devils centre-half when he named his side for Virgin Money.
United legends such as Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and David Beckham all missed out on places in his team, which looks like this.
Smalling said: “There’s solidity at the back, two runners from midfield, goals, Wazza being able to do his stuff in there, and then the amount of balls that are going to be fired in from out wide.”
The above video also shows Smalling’s defensive compatriot, Phil Jones, selecting his ultimate XI.
Jones, unlike Smalling, didn’t name himself in his side as he opted for Steve Bruce instead while Keane, Beckham and Cantona come in for Bryan Robson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy in Jones’ team, which you can see below.
