Paul Scholes was tasked with building his ultimate Manchester United XI – leaving out some huge club legends, including Cristiano Ronaldo, George Best, Eric Cantona, and more.
Paul Scholes himself is, of course, an undeniable Manchester United icon, with the midfielder amassing a ludicrous number of games at Old Trafford.
During his time at the club, he played alongside some of the greatest players in Manchester United history, which perhaps explains why he found it so difficult to pick his dream XI.
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Paul Scholes picks his dream Manchester United XI
Scholes was asked by Icons to produce an all-time Manchester United XI by selecting one player for each position. His selections went as follows:
Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar? Peter SchmeichelDenis Irwin or Patrice Evra? Denis IrwinRio Ferdinand or Jaap Stam? Rio Ferdinand (Scholes admitted this one was “so hard”)Nemanja Vidic or Steve Bruce? Nemanja VidicGary Neville or Antonio Valencia? Gary NevilleRyan Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo? Ryan GiggsRoy Keane or Bryan Robson? Roy KeaneBruno Fernandes or Michael Carrick? Michael CarrickDavid Beckham or George Best? David BeckhamWayne Rooney or Eric Cantona? Wayne RooneyRuud van Nistelrooy or Andy Cole? Ruud van Nistelrooy
Scholes finished with an apology, saying it was “so hard to pick some positions.”
There were certainly some debatable calls – choosing Giggs over Ronaldo and Beckham over Best will raise eyebrows, while Rooney against Cantona is about as tough as it gets.
Scholes says Giggs is Manchester United’s greatest player ever – so maybe it isn’t too much of a surprise.
So how does Scholes’ team look on paper?
As Manchester United lineups go, it’s pretty formidable. Ruben Amorim’s current United side is performing well, but he’d surely love a few of these names in his squad.

The big unanswered question, though, would Scholes would have picked himself? From his perspective, maybe not. From a United fan? Absolutely.