Sir Alex Ferguson says only one surprise player is 'guaranteed' to make his all-time Man Utd XI

Only one player is guaranteed a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's all-time Manchester United starting XI, but it isn't who you might expect.

Ferguson took charge at Old Trafford back in 1986, and after a rocky start went on to become one of the best managers in football history with a 26-year spell as United boss.

During his time as manager, Ferguson led the Red Devils to 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups and two Champions Leagues.

Ferguson also managed some of the best players to ever play for the club, including the likes of Roy Keane, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, the player he picked out to have a guaranteed place in his all-time best XI might come as a surprise.

Back in 2013, when Ferguson announced his retirement, he was asked to name his best-ever United starting XI.

He told the Sunday World: “People ask you: ‘Who is your best Man United team?’ and it’s absolutely impossible.

“It is absolutely impossible. You look at the strikers I had, going back to [Brian] McClair, [Mark] Hughes, [Andy] Cole, Cantona, [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Louis] Saha, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, [Dwight] Yorke, Teddy Sheringham.

“Then to the present players -- Wayne Rooney, [Robin] van Persie, Chicharito [Javier Hernandez]. How do you pick out of that? Cantona and somebody else maybe?

Ferguson added: “The midfield was probably a bit easier because you have [Roy] Keane, [Bryan] Robson and Scholes -- they were fantastic players -- and [David] Beckham, Ronaldo and [Ryan] Giggs.”

In his autobiography, Ferguson revealed Denis Irwin is the only guaranteed name in his best-ever starting XI.

He said: “Honestly, I would say Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to get in the team. I called him an eight out of 10.

“At Highbury in one game, he had a bad pass back in the last minute and [Dennis] Bergkamp came in and scored.”

The Scotsman continued: “After the game, the press said: ‘You must be disappointed in that pass back.’ I said: ‘Well, one mistake in 10 years isn‘t bad.’ He was an unbelievable player.”

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