Lakshay Khurana
Red Devils have had many great names as part of their club in the Barclays Premier League era.
Many players have been criticized as overrated as well, and many have been judged as underrated. Manchester United have had a bunch of players whose value went unrecognised.
So let’s take a look at United’s underrated XI.
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard
Howard was signed by Manchester United for $4million from Metro Stars in the MLS. Howard replaced Fabian Barthez as the club’s first choice goalkeeper. He was considered a strong and an intimidating player on the pitch. The American goalkeeper was outstanding during his time for United, many a times pulling his side out of trouble. He made 77 appearances for the club. Unfortunately, his career at Old Trafford came to an end with the signing of Edwin Van Der Sar in 2005.
Defenders: Denis Irwin, Jaap Stam, John O’Shea, Dailey Blind
Denis Irwin joined Manchester United in the year 1990. He could play in either full back positions and played with great consistency and sharp attacking instincts. He was a plain and simple footballer who went about his work without any protest. He went on to make 529 appearances for the club scoring 33 times.
Jaap Stam spent three seasons at Manchester United, during which time United won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Champions League. He made 79 appearances in total. Stam was a rugged performer who intimidated opposition strikers.
John O’shea had the ability to play in a number of positions, including center back, fullback, defensive midfielder and even an emergency striker. In spite of his inability to settle on a position, O’Shea was a dependable servant to the club and left the fans with many memories. He made a total of 256 appearances for the club, and scored 10 goals.
Dailey Blind is comfortably United’s most underrated player at the moment and also one of the most undervalued players in the Premier League. A competent central midfielder, centre-back and left-back, the Dutchman is very versatile and excels in each of these positions.
Midfielders: Nicky Butt, Park Ji-Sung, Darren Fletcher
Park Ji Sung surely was the unsung hero at Old Trafford. In 2005, he signed for Manchester United for a fee of $5m from PSV Eindhoven. Ji Sung Park was not only a commercial signing, but he was an impact player as well. He made 205 appearances for the club scoring 27 goals. He was only the second Asian to represent the English powerhouse. He is also the first South Korean to win the EPL.
Whilst the rest of the Class of ‘92 had the obvious sparkle in United’s 90’s and early 00’s team, Nicky Butt was the man willing to put a move in and clean up any mistakes. Even though Roy Keane was the preferred player in his ideal role, Butt still managed 387 games for United and could be called upon whenever the going got tough.
Darren Fletcher had to undergo some harsh criticism from former teammate Roy Keane, but Fletch has gone on to silence his critics and carve a niche for himself in the team. The 30-year-old offered plenty of protection to the back four and could play in a number of positions, including center back, central midfield and defensive midfielder. He was indeed an unsung hero for several years at the club.
Forwards: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Andy Cole, Dimitar Berbatov
Berbatov moved to Manchester United on 1 September 2008, costing the club £30.75 million from Tottenham. The Bulgarian footballer was a clinical finisher for United, playing alongside Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo up front, his heroics weren’t praised as much. He made a total of 108 appearances for United and scored a whopping 48 goals even though he wasn’t the first choice striker for most of his career at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer who was an unknown entity outside Norway joined Manchester United in 1996. He is mostly remembered for his last gasp winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League Final, but there was a lot more than that to his United Career. He was considered as a ‘super-sub’ by the Old Trafford faithful. He played in 366 matches and scored 126 goal, having a habit of being in the right places at the right time.
Cole has never quite seemed to gain the respect his record and ability merited, outside Old Trafford. Only thirteen England caps for a player of such unquestionable goal scoring ability is quite frankly shocking. The ex-United striker is admired by all United fans and respected by most of the media as a legend. However, there’s always the shifty feeling that he never quite gets the admiration he truly deserves for such a wonderful record: 121 goals in 275 appearances.
