- Ferdinand named ultimate Manchester XI since 2000 ahead of Sunday’s derby
- There was no place in the team for the likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville
- Is Bruno Fernandes good enough to make the bench for Manchester City? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has named his ultimate Manchester XI since 2000 – and included himself in the side.
Erik ten Hag’s United will seek to put their disappointing defeat at home to Fulham last weekend behind them when they travel to the Etihad on Sunday.
Meanwhile, City will be looking to keep pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool with another win over United this season.
Ahead of the showdown, Ferdinand named his combined team since the turn of the century and left out Red Devils legend Roy Keane while picking Wayne Rooney in an unconventional role.
In goal it was a toss up between Edwin Van Der Saar and David De Gea and Ferdinand opted for the former, saying: ‘I reckon Van der Sar is the standout for me. We said it straight away.
Rio Ferdinand has named his ultimate Manchester XI since 200 ahead of Sunday’s derby
In goal it was a toss up between Edwin Van Der Saar and David De Gea but the former was picked
Ferdinand left Gary Neville out of his team and says Kyle Walker is the best right-back
There was also no place in the team for Roy Keane despite
‘David De Gea, I think, probably had more outstanding moments than Van der Sar, but Van der Sar was just that calming influence and that balance, and he was one of the first goalkeepers from that generation to be great with his feet as well. So, I just think as a package, I take him.’
Right-back was a straightforward decision, with Ferdinand claiming Kyle Walker is ‘the best in Premier League history while Patrice Evra was named the left-back due to his consistency, leaving out Gary Neville in the process.
City had a number of shouts at centre back with the likes of Vincent Kompany and John Stones but Ferdinand, unsurprisingly, opted for himself and former partner Nemanja Vidic.
The holding midfielder may lead to raised eyebrows from some as Rodri was selected ahead of Keane due to the affect his absence has for City and some of his ‘clutch goals’.
I was a triple CIty midfield of Rodri, De Bruyne and Yaya Toure in Ferdinand’s XI
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were a deadly duo for United and made the XI
Sergio Aguero beat off competition from Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin Van Persie
In a 4-3-3 setup, Ferdinand chose Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Scholes, but co-host Stephen Howson added Yaya Toure to the mix. Eventually, a third-party behind the camera ruled in favour of a Toure, De Bruyne duo in front of Rodri.
Ferdinand was insistent on forcing Rooney into the side and selected him as the left winger despite his best days coming up top and Cristiano Ronaldo on the right.
The striker position was a toss up between Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin Van Persie and Sergio Aguero but it was the latter as he was one of Ferdinand’s ‘hardest’ strikers Ferdinand came up against.
