Dwight Yorke’s Perfect XI
Twenty years since the Treble, the former Manchester United forward picks his favourite team-mates from a career that also took him to Aston Villa, Blackburn and Sunderland
PETER SCHMEICHEL “Even though I played with him towards the end of his career, when many people thought his best days were behind him, he was still one of the best goalkeepers. It was almost impossible to get anything past him in training.”
DENIS IRWIN “Denis was Mr Reliable. He took a mean free-kick and was pretty deadly from the penalty spot. A far better defender than people give him credit for, and a valuable asset to Manchester United because he could play left-back or right-back.”
JAAP STAM “Even Alex Ferguson admitted that it was a mistake to let him go. He was lightning quick and brilliant in the air, but had the composure to go with it. Nothing phased him and he could play a bit, too.”
PAUL MCGRATH “It was a pleasure to be on a pitch with this man at Aston Villa. What happened to him was so sad. For me, there’s been no better centre-back in history, and he would be my captain and first name on the team-sheet. Paul was better on the ball than any player I’ve ever seen, and read the game like no other.”
STEVE STAUNTON “People might be surprised that I’ve left Gary Neville out of my back four, but the truth is he wasn’t that good! He was just in the right place at the right time. Steve had been around, and his experience at Liverpool was really useful to Aston Villa at the time. He was a great defender, who played a big part in a successful spell for the club.”
DAVID BECKHAM “David was a striker’s dream. One of the best crossers of a ball there’s ever been, and the supplier of so many of our goals at crucial periods. It was great for me, of course. I just had to stand there and wait for him to hit me.”
ROY KEANE “United wouldn’t have won the trophies they did without Keano, as he just never stopped. Even in training, he played like he was fighting for the league title, every single day. Definitely not someone you’d want to go into a 50/50 with!”
PAUL SCHOLES “The goals he scored were incredible, but he made it look so simple. He didn’t say much in the dressing room, but he didn’t need to. Scholesy could pick a pass from anywhere on the pitch. He was terrible at tackling, though!”
RYAN GIGGS “The perfect winger – Giggsy could beat a player and put the ball in the box from anywhere. His speed and trickery made him a nightmare for every defender, and although he possibly should have scored more goals, they don’t make wingers like him any more.”
RUSSELL LATAPY “If he’d been born in England, he would have been called one of the best players of all time. He made the game look easy. I played with him for Trinidad & Tobago for many years and he was on the next level. I know this choice will surprise a lot of people – I’m just trying to get him the credit he deserves!”
ANDY COLE “We’re still neighbours now and work together to this day. Andy was a better finisher than me, so would work really well alongside Russell [left]. Everyone talks about the Treble season, but we were so much more than one season. We linked up well at Blackburn, too – it just worked for us.”