Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager the Premier League has ever seen. The commanding Scot oversaw the greatest and most dominant period of Manchester United's long and storied history.
Taking charge of arguably the biggest club in England, Ferguson was always going to work with some top-level players throughout his stay in Manchester. However, the ridiculous levels of talent he consistently guided to success were on another level.
Through the 27-year spell he had as the main man in the Old Trafford dugout, Ferguson had elite players running through his starting XI. Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Eric Cantona are just some of the incredible members of his squad over the years. However, they all missed out when he named his best-ever player.
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Sir Alex Ferguson Picks His Best Manchester United Player
'The most influential player in the dressing room'
The ending of Ferguson and Roy Keane's working relationship is a sore point for both to this day. The Irish midfielder left the Red Devils in 2005 after a disagreement with Ferguson, and the pair still don't see eye-to-eye on the matter, with Keane even going as far as saying he'd never forgive his old boss.
However, that didn't stop Ferguson from labelling his long-serving captain as the 'best' player he ever coached at Old Trafford. Shortly after Keane's departure - while he was playing for Celtic - the ex-Aberdeen manager told Sky Sports: "He is a fantastic player," before continuing:
"People used to say to me 'Why do you always say Roy Keane was your best player?'. After all, there have been the likes of Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
"Of course, he wasn't as talented as those players. But without question, his obsession with winning, the demands he put on other players and his desire to win football matches made him the most influential player in the dressing room, no question."
Keane was seen to rule by fear throughout his time as the skipper at Old Trafford. During his incredible tenure on the red side of Manchester, the ex-Republic of Ireland midfielder lifted the Premier League seven times and the Champions League once. Ferguson went on to add: "He became a good captain through that. To my mind, he was the best player in all my time here, fantastic."
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'I hadn't done anything wrong'
The animosity between Keane and Ferguson reached a boiling point when it was decided the captain would be let go at the end of his contract. The player had made comments in an unreleased video on MUTV that the club weren't happy with, although he maintains he said nothing wrong.
As a result, Keane was informed he wouldn't be handed a new contract in his mid-30s. While he told Gary Neville on The Overlap (via Mail Sport) that he didn't mind leaving United, the 53-year-old did explain that he wasn't at all pleased with how the situation was handled:
"I get my anger is obviously a long time ago but the worst anger you can have is the justified anger where you feel – again I feel – I hadn't done anything wrong.
"I was 34, I had a broken foot, and my contract was coming up, it was an easy fix for [Manchester] United to go, "Your days are numbered, alright, cheers, thanks a lot" – and I've seen players leave but I could have left in the summer."
After over 400 appearances for Manchester United, Keane was allowed to leave to join Celtic on a free transfer. While the respect Ferguson had for him as a player remained, there have been bad feelings between the pair ever since.
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 30-03-25.