Sir Alex Ferguson's dream Man Utd striker partnership never played a game together

Sir Alex Ferguson once named his ‘dream’ striker partnership, but the players never got the chance to play alongside each other.

Ferguson, 83, managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013, a period in which he won 38 trophies – thirteen Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, two Champions League crowns, one European Cup Winners’ Cup, ten Community Shields, one FIFA Club World Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.

Of course, despite him being a great manager, the Scot’s success was helped by several world-class forwards such as Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie.

Going back to the 1990s, the likes of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also made their mark at Old Trafford.

But there are two other goal scorers whom Ferguson described as his ‘dream’ duo.

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Ruud van Nistelrooy received the ultimate compliment from his former boss, and it’s fair to say it was deserved.

In his 219 appearances for the Red Devils, Van Nistelrooy, now 49, produced 150 goals and 28 assists, helping United win the Premier League in 2002/03, the FA Cup in 2003/04 and the League Cup in 2005/06 before he left for Real Madrid.

The 49-year-old spoke about how he “loved” playing for Ferguson, due to him being encouraged to attack, during an interview with The Guardian in 2024.

Van Nistelrooy explained: “I love the game, and I love a certain way of playing. At Manchester United, Sir Alex was always pushing us forward. Look forward, play forward, get crosses in, shoot on target. As a player, I loved the way that made me feel. I wanted to play like that, and I want to transmit that same feeling to my teams, to my players.”

Ruud van Nistelrooy in action for Man Utd in 2005 (Credit:Getty)

And the second man in Ferguson’s hypothetical ‘dream’ striker partnership was 1964 Ballon d’Or winner and United legend Denis Law.

“I would love to have Denis Law along with Ruud Van Nistelrooy,” Ferguson said in an interview several years back.

Law, who died in January 2025 aged 84, scored 237 goals in 405 appearances for United and was part of the side that won the 1967/68 European Cup. The Aberdeen-born forward also represented Manchester City, Huddersfield Town and Torino during his almost two-decade playing career.