Man Utd legend identifies the one current player with the quality to have played for 90s champions

Former Manchester United centre-back Gary Pallister says one member of Ruben Amorim’s current squad would have made it into the side of serial winners that he played in during the 1990s.

Things at Old Trafford today are a far cry from Pallister’s time, when they won four league titles in five years following the English top flight’s rebrand to the Premier League in 1992.

Last season United suffered by far their worst campaign of the modern era, ending up 15th in the table with just 42 points and a -10 goal difference.

Despite donning the armband during the club’s low ebb, Bruno Fernandes easily possesses the quality to have played in one of United’s greatest-ever sides.

“Bruno,” was Pallister’s immediate response, when asked whether any players in Amorim’s struggling squad are good enough to have played in the considerably more successful sides that Pallister plays in. 

“That’s the standout. I think he’s been amazing for the club since he arrived there. If he was playing for one of the top teams in Europe, I think we’d be elevating him into a different level, because I think he’s been that good for Manchester United.

“Obviously, people get carried away with his antics with the referee and stuff like that, but as a player who can affect the game, I think he would probably be able to play in any of the United teams that I played in, and most of the ones since then. I think he’s a terrific player.”

The 60-year-old made over 400 appearances for the Red Devils over a nine-year period and was blessed to share a dressing room with a number of era-defining players who stood up tall at pivotal moments.

He namechecked several potential captains in United’s 1990s side but struggled to identify many equivalent leaders in Amorim’s squad today.

“Apart from that, I don’t know,” Pallister added.

“I mean, I’ve said before, I look at characters and personalities of players, and we probably had five or six captains in our team. When you think of Ince, Robson, Bruce, Schmeichel, Keane – you know, these guys were shouters and screamers.

If you weren’t pulling your weight on the football pitch, they weren’t afraid to shout and scream at you and push you to be better.

“So yeah, I mean, I don’t see a lot of that at the moment in the Manchester United side I think Martinez could be one of those players. I think he’s got a bit of that in him, but obviously he’s been out of the team now for quite a while.

“I think Mainoo might bring a little bit of that personality and fiery sort of side of things that won’t accept being beat. I think they need a little bit of that. I think there’s a lot of that missing in the game right now. So yeah, the more they can get in there and shake things up, the better for it.”

Gary Pallister was speaking to Planet Football thanks to NewBettingSites.uk.

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