“One of the Best in the World” - the Current United Player Gary Pallister Thinks Could Start in Any Sir Alex Ferguson Side?

“One of the Best in the World” - the Current United Player Gary Pallister Thinks Could Start in Any Sir Alex Ferguson Side?

The Manchester United side of today is a vastly different side from the lineups put out in the peak of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign at Old Trafford. This may be stating the obvious - players can only give so many years on a professional football field, and there is ever more wheeling and dealing as the modern-day transfer window continues to rise to prominence.

However, this is a discussion of quality. Ruben Amorim’s United side of today are a shadow of Red Devils lineups in days gone by, with very few existing players exhuming the intangible quality that Ferguson’s best teams possessed.

However, in an interview with newbettingsites.uk, former United centre back Gary Pallister said there was one player in the Red Devils' starting eleven that would play week in and week out in even the best United sides of the last 30 years or so.

Asked who, if any, of the current crop of players would start in the prime Alex Ferguson era, Pallister responded, “I think Bruno (Fernandes) would. I think he’s an exceptional player, and that if he was playing for a Real Madrid or a Barcelona, or playing for a Liverpool or Man City, I think you’d be talking about one of the best player’s in the world, rather than saying, ‘what an outstanding player he is for Manchester United.’”

Pallister, who played alongside the likes of Jaap Stam and Steve Bruce, is certainly backed up by the stats - since his debut in 2020, he has created a whopping 128 more chances than any other player, in a list which includes Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Bukayo Saka.

To add to this, the Portuguese international and United club captain is the only player in the top flight this season to create more than 20 chances, with his tally of 22 standing comfortably clear of his nearest competitor.

A player who often goes under the radar due to United’s underwhelming finishing position over the last five years or so, Fernandes has quietly established himself as one ogf the best advanced midfielders of this generation, netting 100 goals and registering a further 84 assists in 299 games for the club.

Speaking on Fernandes, Pallister stated, “I think he’s got that kind of determination and quality to be a game changer - I think those kinds of player’s are very hard to find, especially in the top flight. I think he could play for almost any of the teams in Fergie’s era, that’s for sure.”

This is no light praise - the midfield lineups throughout the Ferguson era boasted some household names, including the likes of Paul Scholes, Bryan Robson, David Beckham, Roy Keane and Michael Carrick, names that achieved virtually unparalleled glory and notoriety thanks to their time at the Theatre of Dreams.

To be put in the same bracket as these club legends is a reflection of the quality Fernandes has exhibited since day one at the club, and now in his prime at just 31 years old, he still has plenty of road ahead of him to further cement his legacy.

However, there is one glaring hole in Bruno Fernandes’ CV that could blast a hole in his hopes of being remembered as a United legend - his trophy haul. His sole honour was United’s surprise 2023/24 FA Cup success, where they beat local rivals Manchester City in the final, with Fernandes registering a customary goal involvement by assisting what turned out to be the winning goal, setting up Kobbie Mainoo with a sumptuous no-look pass.

However, aside from that, the midfielder has failed to captain his side to any further glory, and Pallister himself sees this as a significant stumbling block in the way of him becoming recognised as one of the greats.

“Unfortunately in football, you’re only remembered for winning, and you know if you’re not winning titles and trophies, then you don’t get remembered as a great player, so until they (the players) do that, then they’re not going to put themselves in the pantheon of Manchester United greats.”