Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United
Ryan Smart
Sir Alex Ferguson didn't hesitate when naming the only Manchester United player he managed that could have starred in 'any era' of football.
Ferguson spent nearly 27 years as United boss between 1986 and 2013, making him one of the longest-serving managers in English football history.
He built several star-studded line-ups across those four decades, with his opening years in charge initially seeing him tasked with pulling United away from the bottom half and into contention for regular trophies.
His early signings included the likes of Paul Ince, Gary Pallister and Denis Irwin, who were all brought to the club before First Division sides formed a breakaway and founded the Premier League.
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In the mid to late 1990s, the likes of Eric Cantona, Andy Cole and Roy Keane would all arrive, followed by Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in the next decade.
Alongside all of that was United's world-leading youth development, with the 'Class of 92' - especially Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs - going on to play pivotal roles in the club's success over the next 10 to 20 years.
Among all the talent that Ferguson managed, he was unequivocal that Rooney could have succeeded in any generation of professional football.
Speaking to the official United programme about Rooney in 2016, the Scot explained (via Sky Sports): "I always think that great players can play in any era. Bobby Charlton would have been a great player today.
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"Wayne Rooney would have been a great player back then."
"He was an exciting signing [in 2004]," Ferguson said. "It was fairly shortly after I'd got rid of the idea of retiring and changed my mind. I had to rethink about how we were going to take the club forward.
"Once I decided to stay, I started thinking again and it was really centred around bringing energy back into the team by looking at young players."
Ferguson hinted at another United star who could have made it in another era: "Of course, there was Cristiano Ronaldo, then there was Rooney, and it was a fantastic period. The two of them were unbelievable.
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"Wayne came in as a first team player right away, even though he was only 18. And he's gone on to play for Manchester United for 12 years, which is very difficult in the present day."