Sir Alex Ferguson gave a surprising response when he mentioned one player that would be guaranteed a place in his all-time greatest team during his tenure at Manchester United.
The Scotsman led the team through several very successful periods in his nearly three decades in charge, winning the Premier League 13 times and the Champions League twice.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, some of the most legendary names in English football history, including Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ryan Giggs, plied their trade at Old Trafford.
After his retirement in 2013, Ferguson was asked to select the all-time great lineup from his tenure as manager of United.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s shocking pick

The former Aberdeen manager surprisingly picked an unexpected player; however, he acknowledged that many great names instantly sprang to mind.
”It is absolutely impossible,” he started, as per The Daily Mail.
Then he continued, ”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?’
”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.”
However, Ferguson insisted in his autobiography that Denis Irwin was guaranteed a place in the full-back position.

”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.
”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.”
Irwin became one of the most decorated players in Irish football history after joining United from Oldham in June 1990. During his 12 seasons with the club, he won 18 trophies.