Wayne Rooney has named his best five-a-side team of players he played alongside in his career, one of whom is an underrated Manchester United great.
When players from Sir Alex Ferguson’s era at Manchester United are tasked with choosing the best all-time line-up, there is a plethora of potential names to pick.
United’s list of legends is a who’s who of Premier League greats, with Wayne Rooney himself among the club’s greatest of all time.
Rooney is United’s record scorer, with 251 goals for the club in his career, and is therefore better placed than anyone to name a five-a-side team of his best ever teammates.
Rio Ferdinand is another club legend, undeniably being one of the greatest central defenders of all time, and is impossible to ignore when considering the club’s all-time line-ups.
Now, the pair have passed judgment over one often overlooked United icon.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesRio Ferdinand picks Michael Carrick as most underrated Manchester United star
Picking the best five-a-side team from past teammates is exactly the task that Rio Ferdinand has set Wayne Rooney on the latest Rio Meets episode.
When picking his five players, Rooney named Michael Carrick, which is something of a left-field answer considering some of the bigger-name players in the running.
In response to this, Ferdinand gave Carrick the honour of being the most underrated player he’d played with at United.
“Wow, that’s another one from left field, I think he’s the most underrated player of our teams that we played with,” Ferdinand said.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, as Ferdinand has raved about Carrick previously, admitting it is a huge shame that he isn’t mentioned next to other United greats.
Michael Carrick would have been perfect for Ruben Amorim’s team
In his day, Carrick was always one of the best Premier League midfielders, but he never got the recognition that he ultimately deserved.
Fast forward to 2025, and Ruben Amorim would love Carrick in his United team, with the midfielder having everything needed to succeed in that 3-4-2-1 midfield, besides the blistering pace.
While getting Carrick back is impossible, United can sign the next best thing in Adam Wharton. The Crystal Palace midfielder is expected to be on the move next year, and United are in the running for Wharton.
In the academy right now, Tyler Fletcher and Jim Thwaites also have qualities that resemble Carrick, and so through signings or academy, United should be looking to replicate his impact.