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

Rio Ferdinand played with an assortment of other players at centre half until Nemanja Vidic was brought in during the 2006 winter transfer window. The Serbian quickly established himself as a no-nonsense rock at the back, and the partnership between the two was key to a number of United's successes in both domestic and European competition for the next few years.

Vidic became club captain after the retirement of Gary Neville in 2011, before announcing his departure several months in advance in 2014. Given his subsequent standard of performance for Inter Milan, many wish he would've stayed a little bit longer, particularly given how disorderly United's defending has often been under Louis van Gaal this season.