Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville did not hesitate for one moment in naming the “best” Manchester United team he has ever seen after calling them “unbelievable.”
A famed member of the ‘Class of ‘92,’ Gary Neville rose through the ranks at Manchester United and became a key first-team player under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 49-year-old former United right-back spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford and hoovered up the major silverware during his prolific spell.
Neville made a whopping 602 appearances for United and lifted eight Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues under Sir Alex Ferguson’s leadership.
The United legend was an important part of Ferguson’s legendary teams of the past, including the Red Devils side that captured the treble in the 1998-99 season.
During his illustrious career, Neville also shared the pitch with several United legends, including Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane.
Neville, who was appointed United captain after Roy Keane’s departure from the club, bowed out of Old Trafford in 2011 after calling it time on his playing career.
Neville talks best Man Utd team
Speaking on The Overlap, Gary Neville recalled his time at Manchester United and playing alongside club legend Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.
Legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had done everything in his power to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP in 2003 as part of a £12.24m deal.
Neville admitted that he was initially unconvinced by Ronaldo during his first spell, despite Ferguson later telling him that he knew the player would reach the top.
However, the Sky Sports pundit said that Ronaldo transformed after the 2006 World Cup and both his physique and body had “changed” when he returned to United.
Neville insisted that the 39-year-old Portuguese forward’s change came at the right time, allowing him to link up with United legend Wayne Rooney and ex-Red Devils star Carlos Tevez.
The ex-United and England defender believes the Red Devils team from “2006 to 2009” under Ferguson was the best he had ever seen at the club.
“And then I think it was around 2006 he [Ronaldo] scored and that’s when they knocked us out of the World Cup in Germany and he scored the penalty,” Neville told Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“And he came back and all of a sudden [and] his physique, his body had changed.
“And that season, 2006, when we first won the league – we hadn’t won the league in three years because of [Jose] Mourinho and [Arsene] Wenger – and that season just the transformation into this absolute machine, strong, I think he scored 35-40 goals.
“Wazza [Rooney] kept at that level, where they were both at that level, probably 2006 to 2009 when he [Ronaldo] left, that was the best United team I’ve ever seen.
“Because you had Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez up front and you obviously had [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes, [Michael] Carrick behind… it was unbelievable. And the movement, the speed, the powers, it was frightening.”
Neville on Man Utd legends Rooney and Ronaldo
Ronaldo enjoyed incredible success in his first spell at United and shot to superstardom after his scintillating impact at Old Trafford.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner left the Red Devils in 2009 and completed a blockbuster move to Real Madrid, with Ronaldo continuing to thrive in his career.
Rooney, on the other hand, remained at United even after Ronaldo’s departure and the legendary former striker’s influence began to wane as his career continued.
Neville insisted that Rooney was always destined to have a shorter career than Ronaldo after his former United teammate burst onto the scene at a young age.
He continued: “But then sort of Cristiano went to Madrid, carrying going on that way [upwards] and Wazza started to sort of [fizzle down]… Wazza’s career at 27, he played for like 10-11 years already, so Wayne was always going to have a shorter career.
“But when they were both together, 2006 to 2009, they were brilliant. And then after that, Cristiano started to go like that [upwards].”