Man Utd: Worst Ever Premier League 11

Centre-Back 1: David May

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZUrTKBSVm8 Perhaps the position that has seen the most consistently brilliant players for Manchester United in the Premier League is in the heart of defence. Though other players will grab the headlines through their goals and silky skills, United would not be the force that they are considered today without their rock solid back-line. From their first title victory with Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister, to the European influence of Jaap Stam and Laurent Blanc, to the recent forceful pair of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, the basis of United's success has always been the strength of their defenses. However, not all of their centre-backs were up to the correct standard, and David May is probably the most prolific of these. Signing for United from boyhood club Blackburn Rovers in 1994 after playing a significant role in Blackburn's promotion to the Premier League and their challenge for the title, May was brought for a number of reasons. He had proven to be competent and reliable, long-term centre-back Bruce was approaching the twilight of his career, and the club needed to sign English players to ensure that they didn't break restrictions for playing in Europe. Due to the strong partnership of Bruce and Pallister, May was employed mainly as a right-back, but his less than impressive performances contributed towards United losing the title to his former employers, and the fast-tracking of Gary Neville into the first-team squad. In spite of this lacklustre start to his Manchester career, he was able to establish himself in the first-team in the next two seasons with the departure of Bruce, scoring a crucial goal in United's final game of the 1995/96 season and playing in the FA Cup Final victory against Liverpool. However, unfortunate timing of injuries and the signings of Stam, Henning Berg and the growth of Wes Brown limited his chances of return to the first-team. He played in the 1999 FA Cup Final, but only because the club was resting its main stars for the upcoming Champions League Final. May exuberantly celebrated the European victory, despite not playing a single minute of the campaign, and led many United fans to grow attached to May, taunting opposition fans by saying that even he had won more medals than Alan Shearer. As the final four years at the club saw him play a grand total of twelve more games for the club, and he left for Burnley in 2003. A testament to his reserve status at the club is demonstrated by his two Premier League winners' medals, despite being a squad member for six triumphs.