Manchester United's Greatest 23-Man Squad Of The Premier League Era

23. Peter Schmeichel (Denmark, 1991-1999)

An established shot-stopper is the foundation of any football team, and the Manchester United principle has always been to source long-term solutions to maintain defensive stability. As a result, there have only been only four men that have established themselves between the sticks over the course of the last twenty three years, with others functioning exclusively as backups or experiments that didn't last for more than a couple of seasons (or a couple of games in Massimo Taibi's case). Some of these, most notably Tim Howard, have enjoyed solid careers elsewhere, but take up little room in the annals of United history.

The 'Great Dane' was signed one year before the inaugural Premier League season for £505,000, later described as the 'bargain of the century' by Sir Alex Ferguson. His profile increased when his Danish national side won the 1992 European Championship despite not originally qualifying, only replacing Yugoslavia in the tournament after they were removed for political reasons.

For the next seven years, Schmeichel was a consistently dependable presence between the posts, keeping his side in key matches time after time with vital saves. After announcing that he would leave English football at the end of the 1998-99 season, it was a fitting that the club went on to win the Treble, with Schmeichel captaining the side in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich following the suspension of Roy Keane.