The Red Devils dominated the first decade of the new millennium, only to lose their way – but who have been their best performers?
Manchester United began the 21st century on the beaches of Brazil. They were there to compete in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup and arrived as the official best team in the world after beating Palmeiras in the Inter-Continental Cup. In order to participate, they took the seismic decision to withdraw from the FA Cup, the competition they were the holders of.
A quarter of a century on, and United have restored their reputation in the FA Cup, which they won in May. The Club World Cup, however, is no longer their domain, and they were not even close to qualifying for FIFA's rebranded competition, which takes place next year.
That says a lot about how United have fallen as the century has progressed. The Red Devils won eight out of the first 14 league titles of the new millennium, but ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, they have been on a downward curve. They have finished outside of the top four more times than they have made it in and won just five major trophies. In the first half of the new century, they lifted 13.
It should be no real surprise, then, that a list of the best United players from the first 25 years of the 21st century draws heavily on the Ferguson era. Only performances since January 2000 count, so the likes of Denis Irwin, Jaap Stam and Teddy Sheringham fall short, even though they straddled both centuries.
But who has made it in, and who has failed to make the cut?
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images25Antonio Valencia
When United sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £80 million ($104m), not many fans expected that the club would look to Wigan Athletic for his replacement. Antonio Valencia sure was no Ronaldo, but he proved to be a solid and versatile club stalwart.
The Ecuadorian spent 10 years at Old Trafford, beginning as a right winger before switching to right-back. For years he spoke almost no English, but by the end of his career with United he was one of the most experienced players in the squad, captaining the team in the Europa League final and in his final season.
AdvertisementGetty 24Darren Fletcher
When Ferguson learned that Darren Fletcher, aged 15 at the time, was considering leaving United for Newcastle, he launched a furious tirade at him down the phone, angering the player's mother, and then drove straight to Edinburgh to convince him to stay. Fletcher knew never to risk Ferguson's wrath again and stayed at United for the next 13 years.
He was the ultimate squad player but grew into an undisputable starter in the 2008-09 season, cruelly missing the Champions League final through suspension after diving into a tackle against Arsenal late in the semi-final despite the victory long-being secured. That moment epitomised Fletcher's selfless attitude.
A worse struggle came when he battled a debilitating stomach illness for around two years. The Scotland international kept fighting, as was his way, and was able to eventually continue his career. He has remained loyal to United since retiring, working as a technical director and assistant coach, while his twin sons currently play for the club's Under-18s.
Getty 23Louis Saha
How good could Louis Saha have been were it not for the injuries? The Frenchman had a stunning debut for United against Southampton following a £12m ($15m) move from Fulham in January 2004, and scored seven goals in his first 10 starts.
Injuries interrupted his next season and he only scored twice, but once he returned to full fitness he showed his true value, notching 28 goals and 13 assists in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns combined.
Saha fired United to League Cup glory in 2006 with six goals in five games and played a big part in the Premier League success the following season. But more injuries meant he could not finish the campaign and severely disrupted his progress the following season, when he also had to compete with Carlos Tevez. Despite the constant setbacks, he averaged a goal every three games.
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Getty22Dimitar Berbatov
Ferguson was so determined to make sure Manchester City did not sign Berbatov that he picked him up from the airport on transfer deadline day in 2008 and drove him straight to Old Trafford to complete the transfer from Tottenham. And the Bulgarian was an utter joy to watch.
He often seemed to play at walking pace and at times looked on a whole different level of class to his peers. As an example, early into his United career, Berbatov had the whole of Old Trafford eating out of his hand after an insane piece of skill against West Ham's hapless James Collins.
Berbatov had impressed without tearing up any trees in his first two seasons with United, but he really found his feet in his third, finishing as top scorer in the Premier League while leading the Red Devils to the 2010-11 title with 20 goals. However, he inexplicably did not even make the substitutes' bench for the Champions League final against Barcelona.