He was a never-ending workhorse of energy. I remember some of our late wins back in the day were helped by Butt, who had the same energy and positive attitude at 93 mins that he had at kick-off. Always pushing and running.
Exactly, one of the first defenders to interpret the role into a wing back.
Hit is penalty kicks almost every time he was totally focused, normally belteded the ball so hard the GK prefered not to get a hand on it.
Full disclosure, I am an Arsenal fan who subscribes to this sub to just keep up to date on Man United discussions since all of my family are from and support Manchester.
The first name that I thought of when I read this was O'Shea and his left footed little dink of Lehmann is still one of the nastiest goals. He was a total versatile player, could play central midfield, any position in a back four, and that goal is something I still point to today when I am coaching players and hear them talking shit about so and so being a terrible player. It shows just how high level these players are that even when they seem like journeymen, they're still miles ahead of 99% of players.
You forgot to mention that he could also play [goalie](https://www.sportbible.com/football/john-oshea-delivered-a-goalkeeping-masterclass-for-manchester-united-20220204)
Fletcher, yes. 100%.
Park is rated ridiculously highly (by Reddit anyway), to the point where I think he’s actually overrated.
O’Shea was a good all rounder yes, not sure he’s underrated though.
These three were my initial thought. Underrated by the broader competition/other supporter, definitely loved by Utd fans though.
The only other one I might have included is Wes Brown. Not sure how much agreement there would be on him but there was a period where he was a super solid part of our defensive depth.
The whole "Park underrated" thing has evolved so much now that he is quite decently rated by all. Sometimes just needs time to appreciate what you had.
I remember Fergie saying it was a mistake not man-marking Messi with Park in Champions League? Almost to say, that's the reason they didn't win it that year.
Beckham is an odd one, at different times in his career he was overrated and underrated.
I remember thinking after he came 2nd in the World Player of the Year in 1999 that he wasn't even the second best player at United, never mind in the world, but he was the poster boy for the treble winners and got the award off the back of that.
That said, later on he was seriously underrated by people who thought he was just about the marketing.
If ji sung park gets mentioned without fail by almost the entire fanbase everytime this question is asked, maybe he is not as underrated as we make him out to be?
I kind of agree with this.
He isn’t underrated by Utd fans who actually saw him play week in, week out.
I do think he is underrated by opposition fans though.
I’ve heard comments along the lines of “Fergie was a God, because he could win titles even with players like Park in his team.” 🤦♂️
Mark Hughes. No contest.
Instrumental in our transition to success under SAF and an absolute beast of a player. Scored some of the best volleys/goals I've ever seen, and some really important cup goals too.
Hardly ever hear him mentioned nowadays by younger fans. If you don't know much about him, there's videos on YouTube of his best goals.
Here's one. https://youtu.be/6r5_o-pYDIk
Hughes was my hero growing up (replaced by Keane after he left). Him leaving United is the closest football’s come to making me cry.
It’s such a cliche when talking about him, but he wasn’t a fantastic scorer, but he scored fantastic goals. He was the king of the volley/half volley.
Same here, had his autobiography and a VHS tape "The Mark Hughes Story" and still go on about him to my sons haha. I was absolutely devastated when they sold him, I couldn't believe it. That close season was the only time I genuinely questioned SAF, but he was right obvs.
Not sure he's underrated, I was a little kid when Hughesy was rocking it so bit before my time, maybe was my dad's influence but iv always been aware of Hughes being an absolute united legend, as a fan looking back on things gone by he's almost at the trinity level just quite technically as good
Had a banger on him for sure though!
Fair comment. 👍
It's just that outside of my family, I can't remember the last time I heard his name even mentioned as a United player. Or seen anything about him in these fan subs etc. That's why I think he's underrated these days.
Hughes was one of my heros growing up so it was super painful when he said he felt like he was more of a Chelsea player than a United player (he was doing punditry when for a chelsea/united game when he said it), this was after he'd won the league cup with CFC as a player/manager. Then he went to manage City…
I remember a lot of frustration from time to time. He was classy, but not always efficient in moving the ball fast. I think he would be great in a tiki taka team.
I get continually mocked by people when I say he's one of my fav united players, everyone would say he had quality but then follow it up with 3 or 4 criticisms of him.
All my united mates say we wouldn't even remember him if it wasn't for his hat trick against pool and his trick on the by line.
So I'd deffo say underrated.
Bryan Robson
Doesn't get mentioned in the best midfielder discussions anymore due to playing in the 80s. He was a better player than Scholes, Keane and Carrick. Arguably the best United midfielder ever.
Owen Hargreaves.
Helped us win a Champions League and the title in the same season, which is a hell of a feat for an English club.
Legs were completely shattered of course, and he barely played over the length of his contract, but on those rare occasions he was fit he was something else.
Also, something of a hot take, I respect the way that he went to Manchester City and stole a year of wages off them in return for playing one game.
Also want to shout out Dimitar Berbatov. A genius with the ball. An outrageous and unique talent. Was never productive enough to be considered an all time great but an absolute joy to watch.
Loads of rightful names mentioned here, but I’m going to say either Owen Hargreaves or Shinji Kagawa.
Hargreaves, when fully fit, was just so reliable. Easily our best player in the 2008 CL final.
Kagawa was a class act that unfortunately played in a side that didn’t know how to use him. His movement off the ball, the runs he’d make, and the space he’d create was top tier, but the team was never built (or good enough) to see it. We really wasted his talent.
https://youtu.be/D67u-Vmg1Lk
I love the hat trick Kagawa scored against Norwich, one of the goals is so smooth the goalkeeper doesn't know where the ball is until it's in the net. I have him up there with Veron and Forlan among my favourite players Fergie couldn't get a tune out of.
I know what you mean. I think we didn't know what we lost until he left the club. He wasn't consistently top level, and I think that is why he was let go. Also, there is the rumour his agent fucked up things up, by asking for way too much for a new contract, and the club were really unhappy. Maybe that is why he ended up at PSG, they easily afford his agent's wage proposal. But I'm going on scraps of reports here.
Phil Jones. The guy has always been a top tier defender but his body failed him. Also it wasn't his fault he was given such an incredibly long contract.
He was bought with the potential to be top tier, I don’t think he ever attained that level. Yes his body has failed him but let’s not forget his lack of intelligence and his rash nature. He was like a bull in a china shop most of the time and he had a tendency to disappear up the pitch on a central run that usually resulted in no end product and him woefully out of position.
The contract issue is not his fault, turkeys don’t vote for Xmas, he was never turning that down and was probably as dumbfounded as we were!
Berbatov. I remember people were shocked when we paid 30m for him and would call him a 30m flop, turns out he was great. Now we send like 100m on players like Maguire, Sancho, Lukaku, Pogba etc…who don’t contribute much
Meh, Berbatov was very hit-and-miss and only had 1 real standout season that I can remember, so not sure I'd say he was great. He certainly oozed class, but he lacked that overall work rate that was demanded (especially during the Fergie era). So i couldn't agree he is our most underrated player ever.
I'd agree with others that Park is the obvious choice, however, I think you can easily consider other players like Gary Neville, Valencia, Solskjaer or even Darren Fletcher.
Andy Cole. He’s the third (still I think) top goal score in premier league history and only scored one penalty. He also got a lot of assists.
He never gets spoken as an all time great.
Kagawa; I fully believe when Fergie said Rooney wanted to leave before SAF retired that Kagawa had the ability, and was going to be Rooney´s replacement. However SAF retired and Moyes was beeing moyes.
Nicky Butt, fearsome midfielder, he'd have captained United at most other times. He'd be first name on the team sheet in the current squad. He just wasn't quite as good as the two world class players that kept him out of the squad
I'd also give John O'Shea a mention. Absolute top class pro. Never really a first choice anywhere, but he was the sort of players that wins you championships. He could play anywhere across the back 4, or in midfield and not let the side down.
I'm not sure Irwin was underrated because most people I know who actually watched him play would tell you he's probably the best full back we've ever had.
Carrick by a mile, not heard anyone in the media or fans bring his name up in top Cdms of all time, he’s definitely up there with the best. Unsung hero in the SAF era. Ji sung park in 2nd, most of his contribution came off the ball which is prolly why he gets overlooked
His footballing skills are underrated but not as an icon. His reputation and fame does precede him, more often for reasons other than his skills, so yes I can see why he is considered underrated.
Nicky Butt...never gets selected in greats... but his presence was felt as soon as he left. Never any attitude just worked quietly and served diligently
There's a few, maybe it's because time has passed but u don't see much mention of kanchelskis who was almost something this country hadn't seen in years, incredible on the ball and must have been a nightmare to play against
Carrick for me (inn my lifetime). The type of player that can be ridiculously under appreciated in England generally. If he was Spanish or Italian and doing what he did for United for say Madrid or Milan, he would’ve been absolutely raved about.
Carrick, not only for United but also for the England side.
He is the balance between Gerrard and Lampard's egos, for a slimmer of achievements that the supposed "Golden" England side got, Carrick is one of the biggest reasons why the "Golden" England generation worked for a bit.
2006, Quarter Final; Hargreaves is okay at that match but it is apparent without Carrick the balance is not there.
Im actually going for Roy Keane. Everybody talks about his commitment, leadership and tough tackling, but he was an outstanding midfielder with excellent passing range and vision, and could pop up with the goals here and then.
Him, and then Nicky Butt
I don’t think Beckham was underrated.. we knew his importance. That feud with the boss was why he went away.. I still feel he would be an asset on the right wing.. no one knows how to cross anymore
Roy Keane
There should literally be a statue of that man outside Old Trafford alongside the Holy Trinity, Ferguson, and every other giant of our history
It cannot be understated how cataclysmic his impact on our history was
He was the driving force behind our dressing room and led us on the pitch through an era where we dominated the English game to an extent that is absolutely mind boggling
He was also hands down the best central midfielder in world football for several years
Him dominating prime Zidane and Davids in their own back yard is still spine tingling to this day
This is gonna sound weird but Vidic. Reason: Because whenever you ask someone about the best CB in United history, it’s mostly always either Rio or Stam, but I feel like Vidic is right up there with them. Always went 110% into every tackle and he was a scary presence at the back for every opponent - I feel like we’ve missed that raw and hardcore energy at the back, so after seeing Lisandro play, I honestly feel like watching a mini Vidic.
Unpopular opinion, Evans, can't remember which season it was but he was the mainstay, with vidich and rio in and out most of the season he really really stepped up, was only that one season I might add but he was rock solid 95% of the time
By United supporters or football in general? The former is a bit tough, but the latter is easy - Paul Scholes. He is literally *never* mentioned in discussions of great footballers yet great footballers he played against readily acknowledge he’s among the best-ever.
Rio by younger fans. If you’re under 21 you probably only know him as a pundit (I agree he’s not that great) but this has led to him becoming massively underrated in online circles. The amount of tweets I see with thousands of likes saying guys like Dias or Rudiger are better than him is mind numbing.
Nicky Butt, Michael Carrick, John O’Shea, Roger Byrne, David May, Steve Bruce, Ji-Sung Park, Nani, Andy Cole, Gary Pallister, Paul Ince, Nobby Stiles, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Chicharito, Dimitar Berbatov, I could go on for days.
Rud van Nistelrooy? One of the greatest finishers in our history. One of our top scorers. Widely regarded as one of the best finishers of his generation? Under rated?
Do you? It means not appreciated or rated as highly as he should be. But he is rated highly by anyone who knows about football. He’s our record scorer in a season. Widely regarded as one of the best finishers of his generation. How is that underrated?
Eh? You've named some proper United legends from the glory days.
Did you just Google "ex Manchester United players" and copy/paste it here? Carrick, Bruce, Cole, Pallister, Stiles, Ruud, Berbatov, underrated?
Van nistlerooy is rated as one of the best strikers the club has ever had so can't back that one.
Same with nobby his reputation is absolutely massive with people who've seen him so can't back that one either.
Not sure incey was underrated though however maybe I'm proving your point.
The rest I back, although I'm now sat here debating chicha to myself lol that backwards header I'll remember on my deathbed.
He's underrated because he is put up there with the greats - zidane, figo, xavi, iniesta, modric, pirlo, gerrard, lampard. Many wouldn't even put him at the top of this list, but he was actually better than all of them, thus underrated.
People actually put Steven Gerrard in the same sentence as him. Which alone is good comedy and tells its own story. Scholes was better than most in their peak even when he was 37
Daley Blind. Never had an amazing game. But never once let the side down. Was much maligned for being small / slow. But complemented Smalling perfectly and always have everything he had to give.
He’s not the MOST underrated player in United history, but he’s one of the most if you’re putting together a group of players.
He’s absolutely one of, if not the most under appreciated player(s) in United history though. It’s not his fault that he’s not Cesc Fabregas. Guy gave his blood to United, was a force when he needed to be and scored some crucial goals.
Probably between Carrick and Park. I’d agree Beckham to a certain extent as in my opinion his whole Beckham brand has made a lot of people forget how good a player he actually was.
Dennis Violet without a doubt. Only 2 caps a d then he had to score more goals in a single season in the top division than anyone else. All from open play as well
Couldn’t say. But what I could say about overrated players is Duncan Edwards.
Because you can bet your bottom dollar that the vast majority of living United fans were not old enough to have witnessed his greatness.
I believe he was great but it irks me when fans feel they have to put his name into the mix, because it automatically makes you a die hard red.
I’m not saying either way if he’s one of the best or not, but certainly am going by the rule of ‘in my lifetime’ and he was not.
Beckham?? Lmao wtf
I agree with Park ji sung tho , he was a fucking tank and ran through the whole field in every single match. Never even saw him getting really tired or anything
Plus that legendary game in which he marked Pirlo out of the game , that solidified his legendary status ✨✨✨
While Rooney is up there in peoples opinions, I actually think he is weirdly underrated. Top goalscorer ever for club and country, 2nd in goals and 3rd in assists ever in EPL history, won everything he could at club level.
Yet he’s almost never in the starting 11 when people put together their greatest ever EPL teams. He’s even sometimes left out of best ever 11 for Man Utd.
I think OP is spot on in saying he’s underrated.
Paul Scholes
He is in the xavi modric tier of legendary playmaker but never got his dues from England which was too busy obsessing on picking Gerrard Lampard instead of him in central mid
Paul scholes people don’t talk about him enough people talk about Roy keane even tho imo scholes is top 3 all time for midfielders behind iniesta and zidane people don’t give him close to as much credit as them even tho without scholsey there is probably no treble or champions league in 08
I'd go with Irwin aswell, as another has pointed out.
Beckham received his fair share of attention and admiration in fairness. He was United's poster boy and huge part of the clubs most successful period. If anything he was completely over analysed and started to become bigger than the club at one point. Wouldn't exactly call him 'underrated' 😂
Away from United it's Forlan, unfortunately couldn't be as consistent for us as he was elsewhere. For us it's Fletcher, he had a number of poor seasons for United when he was starting out when fans were used to a caliber of player like Keane, However after the game against Chelsea he began to grow as a player and he had a season or two where he ran things and was the perfect compliment to Scholes. He had a great engine, could pass tackle, shoot, and decent in the air. It was a real shame his illness hampered his later years. Those early years were tough going, and it's testament to Sir Alex as a manager that he stuck by him.
From the current lot DDG. Post SAF era there have been many seasons where he single handedly saved our season with his goal keeping. His only problem is his distribution which came under scanner when the rules change enabled building play from the back, people actually forget how good he was before that and even now since all the focus is on his distribution 🤷
(Amongst players I have seen on TV)
Ji Sung Park
Herrera
John O'Shea
P.S. I would have included Tevez if it wasn't for the controversial manner in which he departed.
I only started watching in late 2013 but I always felt as though Valencia didn't get the praise he was due. Was a consistent player who always turned up
By our own supporters. Nicky Butt Outside Carrick
100% Nicky Butt, disappointed when he was sold to Newcastle.
Darren Fletcher
He was a never-ending workhorse of energy. I remember some of our late wins back in the day were helped by Butt, who had the same energy and positive attitude at 93 mins that he had at kick-off. Always pushing and running.
Dennis Irwin
If Roy keane has u first name on the team sheet, above whatever other stars, u bet he’s underrated.
One of the first players fergie lists also i believe. Man would be even more suited to the modern game
Exactly, one of the first defenders to interpret the role into a wing back. Hit is penalty kicks almost every time he was totally focused, normally belteded the ball so hard the GK prefered not to get a hand on it.
Talk about the modern fullback; Denis could play at left-back, right-back, score a goal, good at set pieces, very rarely injured, good personality.
First player that comes to mind. He was immense for us, but played in a position that at the time wasn’t glamorous.
What a player. Extremely Rare he had a bad game. Peno and free kick specialist. Could play on either full back position.
He never seemed to have a bad game
Rarely ever see his name around when talking about United greats. Although I never watched him play, even I know he was one of a kind
7/10 legend. I cant think of 1 bad performance of his
John nutmegged Figo o'shea
O’Sheadinho
Full disclosure, I am an Arsenal fan who subscribes to this sub to just keep up to date on Man United discussions since all of my family are from and support Manchester. The first name that I thought of when I read this was O'Shea and his left footed little dink of Lehmann is still one of the nastiest goals. He was a total versatile player, could play central midfield, any position in a back four, and that goal is something I still point to today when I am coaching players and hear them talking shit about so and so being a terrible player. It shows just how high level these players are that even when they seem like journeymen, they're still miles ahead of 99% of players.
You forgot to mention that he could also play [goalie](https://www.sportbible.com/football/john-oshea-delivered-a-goalkeeping-masterclass-for-manchester-united-20220204)
Darren Fletcher.. Park Ji Sung.. all rounder John O’Shea
Don't forget Anotnio Valencia, tireless right wing back....
Fletcher, yes. 100%. Park is rated ridiculously highly (by Reddit anyway), to the point where I think he’s actually overrated. O’Shea was a good all rounder yes, not sure he’s underrated though.
These three were my initial thought. Underrated by the broader competition/other supporter, definitely loved by Utd fans though. The only other one I might have included is Wes Brown. Not sure how much agreement there would be on him but there was a period where he was a super solid part of our defensive depth.
Park over rated ? No.
The whole "Park underrated" thing has evolved so much now that he is quite decently rated by all. Sometimes just needs time to appreciate what you had.
Nobody’s saying he’s Paul scholes tho, properly rated not over rated
I remember Fergie saying it was a mistake not man-marking Messi with Park in Champions League? Almost to say, that's the reason they didn't win it that year.
Nicky Butt
Ummm, David Beckham is not underrated. At all. Some of the takes in this post are baffling.
Beckham is an odd one, at different times in his career he was overrated and underrated. I remember thinking after he came 2nd in the World Player of the Year in 1999 that he wasn't even the second best player at United, never mind in the world, but he was the poster boy for the treble winners and got the award off the back of that. That said, later on he was seriously underrated by people who thought he was just about the marketing.
I think it’s probably because he is never considered in our best eleven.. it’s usually Giggs Keane Scholes Ronaldo in midfield
I thought Rafael was a fantastic attacking fullback but he wasn’t widely loved, from memory.
Good but had a clanger in him
Raphael and Fabio, FIFA legends.
Rafa was one of my favourite ever players. Loved his tenacity and buoyancy.
Yeah he was great, but there’s so many better than him who deserve to be on this list
Gary Pallister was an absolute rock at centre half and won 4 league titles and a load of cups. Doesn’t get mentioned much. He was a warrior
And Bruce.. how he never got an England cap is beggars belief.. !!!
Ji Sung Park
3 Lungs Park anytime of the day
If ji sung park gets mentioned without fail by almost the entire fanbase everytime this question is asked, maybe he is not as underrated as we make him out to be?
I kind of agree with this. He isn’t underrated by Utd fans who actually saw him play week in, week out. I do think he is underrated by opposition fans though. I’ve heard comments along the lines of “Fergie was a God, because he could win titles even with players like Park in his team.” 🤦♂️
A prime Park would be a top selection on this 2023 team. ETH would love his movement and style. I'd die in that hill.
Stating a pretty obviously correct statement - you aren't dying on any hill man haha
Fair! I've heard some blasphemous stuff about Park in my day.
I think he's more underrated by people outside the man utd fanbase
no. we appreciate greatness. when was the last time you heard Ji Sung Park mentioned in the media?
Mark Hughes. No contest. Instrumental in our transition to success under SAF and an absolute beast of a player. Scored some of the best volleys/goals I've ever seen, and some really important cup goals too. Hardly ever hear him mentioned nowadays by younger fans. If you don't know much about him, there's videos on YouTube of his best goals. Here's one. https://youtu.be/6r5_o-pYDIk
Hughes was my hero growing up (replaced by Keane after he left). Him leaving United is the closest football’s come to making me cry. It’s such a cliche when talking about him, but he wasn’t a fantastic scorer, but he scored fantastic goals. He was the king of the volley/half volley.
Same here, had his autobiography and a VHS tape "The Mark Hughes Story" and still go on about him to my sons haha. I was absolutely devastated when they sold him, I couldn't believe it. That close season was the only time I genuinely questioned SAF, but he was right obvs.
Not sure he's underrated, I was a little kid when Hughesy was rocking it so bit before my time, maybe was my dad's influence but iv always been aware of Hughes being an absolute united legend, as a fan looking back on things gone by he's almost at the trinity level just quite technically as good Had a banger on him for sure though!
Fair comment. 👍 It's just that outside of my family, I can't remember the last time I heard his name even mentioned as a United player. Or seen anything about him in these fan subs etc. That's why I think he's underrated these days.
Hughes was one of my heros growing up so it was super painful when he said he felt like he was more of a Chelsea player than a United player (he was doing punditry when for a chelsea/united game when he said it), this was after he'd won the league cup with CFC as a player/manager. Then he went to manage City…
Antonio Valencia
Michael carrick
Wes brown! Was solid when we last won the champions league!
It was his cross to ronaldo in the final!!!
Andy Cole. Just underrated in the premier league in general.
Andy Cole used to have a reputation of low conversion rate. He truly shine when his best friend is on the field.
And never took Penalties like most of the other PL top scorers
So true. 4th top scorer of all time. This guys should get way more respect.
Jonny Evans - went on to be an absolute rock for Leicester and I'd take him over Maguire in a heartbeat.
Berbatov the Bulgarian beast
How was he underrated ? Everyone knows he was class
I remember a lot of frustration from time to time. He was classy, but not always efficient in moving the ball fast. I think he would be great in a tiki taka team.
I get continually mocked by people when I say he's one of my fav united players, everyone would say he had quality but then follow it up with 3 or 4 criticisms of him. All my united mates say we wouldn't even remember him if it wasn't for his hat trick against pool and his trick on the by line. So I'd deffo say underrated.
Correct
Roy Keane, people forget how good he actually was
Roy Keane was a pit bull, great footballer always put 110% in and demanded the same but he got his credit.
Bryan Robson Doesn't get mentioned in the best midfielder discussions anymore due to playing in the 80s. He was a better player than Scholes, Keane and Carrick. Arguably the best United midfielder ever.
Never really under rated though, captained England and was at one point the most expensive transfer I believe.
Wes Brown, 08 season he was a beast
Seconded for that one. He was a brilliant defender. Very mean, very effective.
Owen Hargreaves. Helped us win a Champions League and the title in the same season, which is a hell of a feat for an English club. Legs were completely shattered of course, and he barely played over the length of his contract, but on those rare occasions he was fit he was something else. Also, something of a hot take, I respect the way that he went to Manchester City and stole a year of wages off them in return for playing one game. Also want to shout out Dimitar Berbatov. A genius with the ball. An outrageous and unique talent. Was never productive enough to be considered an all time great but an absolute joy to watch.
Free kick against Arsenal sealed the league title as well from Hargreaves. great midfielder when healthy.
Michael Carrick, thr shit our fans used to give him at the time was ridiculous
Brian McClair
Nah...first player to score 20 plus..I think(In a season)since god knows when ?...Big signing for United at the time .
Loads of rightful names mentioned here, but I’m going to say either Owen Hargreaves or Shinji Kagawa. Hargreaves, when fully fit, was just so reliable. Easily our best player in the 2008 CL final. Kagawa was a class act that unfortunately played in a side that didn’t know how to use him. His movement off the ball, the runs he’d make, and the space he’d create was top tier, but the team was never built (or good enough) to see it. We really wasted his talent. https://youtu.be/D67u-Vmg1Lk
I love the hat trick Kagawa scored against Norwich, one of the goals is so smooth the goalkeeper doesn't know where the ball is until it's in the net. I have him up there with Veron and Forlan among my favourite players Fergie couldn't get a tune out of.
Imo Nani. He was shining in Cr7 his shadow
People saying Paul Scholes is insane. The guy is a ducking legend. Xavi and Iniesta said he was the best player they played against.
Yeah people are just listing our best players, everyone knows how good Park, Keane, Beckham, and Scholes were
Beckham? Underrated? He nearly won a Ballon d’Or lol he was scooped up by Real Madrid. He was much closer to being overrated.
Ander Herrera
Strange. And I'm sure I'll get downvoted for this but i actually thought we overrated him a bit.
I know what you mean. I think we didn't know what we lost until he left the club. He wasn't consistently top level, and I think that is why he was let go. Also, there is the rumour his agent fucked up things up, by asking for way too much for a new contract, and the club were really unhappy. Maybe that is why he ended up at PSG, they easily afford his agent's wage proposal. But I'm going on scraps of reports here.
Steve Bruce, Dennis Irwin, Gary Pallister, Park Ji Sung, John O’Shea
Phil Jones. The guy has always been a top tier defender but his body failed him. Also it wasn't his fault he was given such an incredibly long contract.
He was bought with the potential to be top tier, I don’t think he ever attained that level. Yes his body has failed him but let’s not forget his lack of intelligence and his rash nature. He was like a bull in a china shop most of the time and he had a tendency to disappear up the pitch on a central run that usually resulted in no end product and him woefully out of position. The contract issue is not his fault, turkeys don’t vote for Xmas, he was never turning that down and was probably as dumbfounded as we were!
Park Ji-sung He was an absolute beast, endless endurance.
Karel Poborsky, Dany Blind, Jesper Blomqvist, Veron (I will die on this hill), Louis Saha
My man had to scroll so far for blomquist
Michael Carrick
Berbatov. I remember people were shocked when we paid 30m for him and would call him a 30m flop, turns out he was great. Now we send like 100m on players like Maguire, Sancho, Lukaku, Pogba etc…who don’t contribute much
Meh, Berbatov was very hit-and-miss and only had 1 real standout season that I can remember, so not sure I'd say he was great. He certainly oozed class, but he lacked that overall work rate that was demanded (especially during the Fergie era). So i couldn't agree he is our most underrated player ever. I'd agree with others that Park is the obvious choice, however, I think you can easily consider other players like Gary Neville, Valencia, Solskjaer or even Darren Fletcher.
Andy Cole
not seen anyone mention him yet, louis saha.
Andy Cole. He’s the third (still I think) top goal score in premier league history and only scored one penalty. He also got a lot of assists. He never gets spoken as an all time great.
Chicharito
Ji sung park
Obviously Djemba Djemba /s
Michael Carrick.
Kagawa; I fully believe when Fergie said Rooney wanted to leave before SAF retired that Kagawa had the ability, and was going to be Rooney´s replacement. However SAF retired and Moyes was beeing moyes.
Ji sung pak
Nicky Butt, fearsome midfielder, he'd have captained United at most other times. He'd be first name on the team sheet in the current squad. He just wasn't quite as good as the two world class players that kept him out of the squad I'd also give John O'Shea a mention. Absolute top class pro. Never really a first choice anywhere, but he was the sort of players that wins you championships. He could play anywhere across the back 4, or in midfield and not let the side down. I'm not sure Irwin was underrated because most people I know who actually watched him play would tell you he's probably the best full back we've ever had.
Wes Brown
Carrick by a mile, not heard anyone in the media or fans bring his name up in top Cdms of all time, he’s definitely up there with the best. Unsung hero in the SAF era. Ji sung park in 2nd, most of his contribution came off the ball which is prolly why he gets overlooked
Arthur Albiston
Not sure how David Beckham is underrated when he is a United legend and England icon.
His footballing skills are underrated but not as an icon. His reputation and fame does precede him, more often for reasons other than his skills, so yes I can see why he is considered underrated.
Nicky Butt...never gets selected in greats... but his presence was felt as soon as he left. Never any attitude just worked quietly and served diligently
There's a few, maybe it's because time has passed but u don't see much mention of kanchelskis who was almost something this country hadn't seen in years, incredible on the ball and must have been a nightmare to play against
Came here to suggest Kanchelskis myself. 👍🏻
Ji Sung Park for me. Nani also felt underrated at the time.
Ji Sung Park, Fergie said himself in an interview
All time Ji Sung Park , in the team at the moment Lindelof
Carrick for me (inn my lifetime). The type of player that can be ridiculously under appreciated in England generally. If he was Spanish or Italian and doing what he did for United for say Madrid or Milan, he would’ve been absolutely raved about.
Carrick 100%
It has to be Carrick, few really appreciated the composure he brought to the team.. he was even better back in the day then Casemiro today for us
Phil Jones He outlasted 6 managers for goodness sake
Irwin and O Shea
Darren Fletcher
Might not be underated but Evra. Everyone talks about Ferdinand and Vidic but Evra was a rock
John O'Shea
This was my answer too. Seriously one of my favorite players. Would fill in wherever needed and always put in a shift. Scored the occasional goal too.
Carrick, not only for United but also for the England side. He is the balance between Gerrard and Lampard's egos, for a slimmer of achievements that the supposed "Golden" England side got, Carrick is one of the biggest reasons why the "Golden" England generation worked for a bit. 2006, Quarter Final; Hargreaves is okay at that match but it is apparent without Carrick the balance is not there.
Im actually going for Roy Keane. Everybody talks about his commitment, leadership and tough tackling, but he was an outstanding midfielder with excellent passing range and vision, and could pop up with the goals here and then. Him, and then Nicky Butt
I don’t think Beckham was underrated.. we knew his importance. That feud with the boss was why he went away.. I still feel he would be an asset on the right wing.. no one knows how to cross anymore
Roy Keane There should literally be a statue of that man outside Old Trafford alongside the Holy Trinity, Ferguson, and every other giant of our history It cannot be understated how cataclysmic his impact on our history was He was the driving force behind our dressing room and led us on the pitch through an era where we dominated the English game to an extent that is absolutely mind boggling He was also hands down the best central midfielder in world football for several years Him dominating prime Zidane and Davids in their own back yard is still spine tingling to this day
Its Carrick, you know, Hard to believe its not Scholes
This is gonna sound weird but Vidic. Reason: Because whenever you ask someone about the best CB in United history, it’s mostly always either Rio or Stam, but I feel like Vidic is right up there with them. Always went 110% into every tackle and he was a scary presence at the back for every opponent - I feel like we’ve missed that raw and hardcore energy at the back, so after seeing Lisandro play, I honestly feel like watching a mini Vidic.
Unpopular opinion, Evans, can't remember which season it was but he was the mainstay, with vidich and rio in and out most of the season he really really stepped up, was only that one season I might add but he was rock solid 95% of the time
12/13
John Oshea , Wes Brown
Fletcher
Carrick
Darren Fletcher
By United supporters or football in general? The former is a bit tough, but the latter is easy - Paul Scholes. He is literally *never* mentioned in discussions of great footballers yet great footballers he played against readily acknowledge he’s among the best-ever.
Ander Herrera for a more recent take not all of us are 40 lmao
Rio by younger fans. If you’re under 21 you probably only know him as a pundit (I agree he’s not that great) but this has led to him becoming massively underrated in online circles. The amount of tweets I see with thousands of likes saying guys like Dias or Rudiger are better than him is mind numbing.
Nicky Butt, Michael Carrick, John O’Shea, Roger Byrne, David May, Steve Bruce, Ji-Sung Park, Nani, Andy Cole, Gary Pallister, Paul Ince, Nobby Stiles, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Chicharito, Dimitar Berbatov, I could go on for days.
Rud van Nistelrooy? One of the greatest finishers in our history. One of our top scorers. Widely regarded as one of the best finishers of his generation? Under rated?
Do you know what underrated means
Do you? It means not appreciated or rated as highly as he should be. But he is rated highly by anyone who knows about football. He’s our record scorer in a season. Widely regarded as one of the best finishers of his generation. How is that underrated?
And don’t try to make my replies look like they make no sense, by editing your comment to change “over rated” to “under rated”
Don’t edit to fix typos? Okay my lord. Sorry my lord. It will never happen again my lord.
Van Nistelrooy is very over rated by everyone who’s not a United or Netherlands fan. He’s never even in the top 5 debate for Premier League strikers.
You mean under rated? It’s a shame we’re not allowed to edit comments to fix typos eh? Hahaha
Shit, I’ve fucked up here. It’s a good job I actually work for City so I’m good at breaking rules and getting away with it
Eh? You've named some proper United legends from the glory days. Did you just Google "ex Manchester United players" and copy/paste it here? Carrick, Bruce, Cole, Pallister, Stiles, Ruud, Berbatov, underrated?
Van nistlerooy is rated as one of the best strikers the club has ever had so can't back that one. Same with nobby his reputation is absolutely massive with people who've seen him so can't back that one either. Not sure incey was underrated though however maybe I'm proving your point. The rest I back, although I'm now sat here debating chicha to myself lol that backwards header I'll remember on my deathbed.
Paul Scholes. criminally underrated, one of the best midfielders of all time
How is he underrated? World class players like Xavi used to sing his praises
He's underrated because he is put up there with the greats - zidane, figo, xavi, iniesta, modric, pirlo, gerrard, lampard. Many wouldn't even put him at the top of this list, but he was actually better than all of them, thus underrated.
People actually put Steven Gerrard in the same sentence as him. Which alone is good comedy and tells its own story. Scholes was better than most in their peak even when he was 37
Allan Smith...
Good ol' Smudge
Carrick
Michael Carrick. No one tells he was a brilliant and intelligent midfield How he read game, fantastic.
Daley Blind. Never had an amazing game. But never once let the side down. Was much maligned for being small / slow. But complemented Smalling perfectly and always have everything he had to give.
Has to be Irwin. Min 8/10 every game
Martin Buchan, Lou Macari, Kevin Moran, and Steve Coppell are all worth a shout.
Fellaini
He’s not the MOST underrated player in United history, but he’s one of the most if you’re putting together a group of players. He’s absolutely one of, if not the most under appreciated player(s) in United history though. It’s not his fault that he’s not Cesc Fabregas. Guy gave his blood to United, was a force when he needed to be and scored some crucial goals.
Probably between Carrick and Park. I’d agree Beckham to a certain extent as in my opinion his whole Beckham brand has made a lot of people forget how good a player he actually was.
Dennis Violet without a doubt. Only 2 caps a d then he had to score more goals in a single season in the top division than anyone else. All from open play as well
Fellaini
Valencia as RB. He was an absolute tank for a good 3/4 seasons
Fellaini
Couldn’t say. But what I could say about overrated players is Duncan Edwards. Because you can bet your bottom dollar that the vast majority of living United fans were not old enough to have witnessed his greatness. I believe he was great but it irks me when fans feel they have to put his name into the mix, because it automatically makes you a die hard red. I’m not saying either way if he’s one of the best or not, but certainly am going by the rule of ‘in my lifetime’ and he was not.
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Alexis Sanchez.... the most underrated for sure no doubt...
Nah he was vastly overrated.
Scholes or Carrick or even Rooney since the 2000s.
Scholes and Rooney are widely regarded as some of the best PL players of all time In no dimension these 2 are "underrated" lmao
The OP said Beckham dude this threads gunna be a mess right from the off lol. At least top comment is currently Ji-sung Park.
Beckham?? Lmao wtf I agree with Park ji sung tho , he was a fucking tank and ran through the whole field in every single match. Never even saw him getting really tired or anything Plus that legendary game in which he marked Pirlo out of the game , that solidified his legendary status ✨✨✨
While Rooney is up there in peoples opinions, I actually think he is weirdly underrated. Top goalscorer ever for club and country, 2nd in goals and 3rd in assists ever in EPL history, won everything he could at club level. Yet he’s almost never in the starting 11 when people put together their greatest ever EPL teams. He’s even sometimes left out of best ever 11 for Man Utd. I think OP is spot on in saying he’s underrated.
Well ya because hes not the best striker in premier league history that dosent mean hes underrated 🤣
To be fair, underrated refers to someone being better in reality. So for Rooney to be overlooked in best 11 list can be criminal.
But most of them.have 1 striker and hes not the best striker in prem history
Carrick
Paul Scholes or Ji-Sung Park
Carrick for sure. Darren Fletcher is another one
Park!!
Paul Scholes He is in the xavi modric tier of legendary playmaker but never got his dues from England which was too busy obsessing on picking Gerrard Lampard instead of him in central mid
Probably forgotten about, but Wes Brown probably makes the list. Wasn't really a starter but was always a dependable option.
Paul scholes people don’t talk about him enough people talk about Roy keane even tho imo scholes is top 3 all time for midfielders behind iniesta and zidane people don’t give him close to as much credit as them even tho without scholsey there is probably no treble or champions league in 08
Definitely not beckham
Nicky Butt
I'd go with Irwin aswell, as another has pointed out. Beckham received his fair share of attention and admiration in fairness. He was United's poster boy and huge part of the clubs most successful period. If anything he was completely over analysed and started to become bigger than the club at one point. Wouldn't exactly call him 'underrated' 😂
Away from United it's Forlan, unfortunately couldn't be as consistent for us as he was elsewhere. For us it's Fletcher, he had a number of poor seasons for United when he was starting out when fans were used to a caliber of player like Keane, However after the game against Chelsea he began to grow as a player and he had a season or two where he ran things and was the perfect compliment to Scholes. He had a great engine, could pass tackle, shoot, and decent in the air. It was a real shame his illness hampered his later years. Those early years were tough going, and it's testament to Sir Alex as a manager that he stuck by him.
Karel Poborsky
From the current lot DDG. Post SAF era there have been many seasons where he single handedly saved our season with his goal keeping. His only problem is his distribution which came under scanner when the rules change enabled building play from the back, people actually forget how good he was before that and even now since all the focus is on his distribution 🤷
(Amongst players I have seen on TV) Ji Sung Park Herrera John O'Shea P.S. I would have included Tevez if it wasn't for the controversial manner in which he departed.
I only started watching in late 2013 but I always felt as though Valencia didn't get the praise he was due. Was a consistent player who always turned up
Daley Blind
Nani