18. Paul Scholes

You must have a rare and special football talent to impress the great Sir Bobby Charlton. The United legend sums up Paul Scholes perfectly: "He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."

Part of the new wave of talent that ushered in Beckham, Giggs, Butt and the Neville brothers in the mid-1990s, Salford-born Scholes scored twice on his debut in the League Cup at Port Vale in 1994/95 – and on his first league outing against Ipswich – and hasn't looked back.

A host of golden seasons at Old Trafford include 1995/96’s Double-winning campaign, in

which he covered admirably during Eric Cantona’s suspension, finishing second behind the Frenchman in the scoring charts with 14 goals; he was a cornerstone of 1999’s Treble-winners, although suspension ruled him out of the UEFA Champions League final, and in United’s Premier League success in 2003, his 20-goal haul was vital.

Neat and compact, a misplaced Scholes pass remains one of the rarest sights in football. His superb eye for goal and late runs from midfield also served his country superbly on 66 occasions.

An eye problem kept the man the fans dubbed the 'Ginger Prince’ out of action for a large part of 2005/06, but he burst back onto the scene during the 2006/07 title-winning campaign, playing a key role in helping the Reds reclaim the Premier League crown. Personal highlights included his opener in the 2-0 win over Liverpool in October 2006 and a volley of the highest calibre in the 3-0 win at Aston Villa two months later, which earned him the Goal of the Season Award at the club's Player Awards ceremony.

His contribution was recognised by players and press alike - he finished third in the PFA Player of the Year category and fourth in the Football Writers' vote - both of which were won by

team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

His good form continued the following season as he helped the Reds to a glorious double and finally buried the UEFA Champions League ghost of '99 when his stunning strike against Barcelona in April 2008, booked United's, and his own place, in the final in Moscow.

Now in the top four highest ever appearance makers, with over 600 games under his belt, and the top twelve highest goalscorers at the club, Scholes is, indisputably, one of the finest talents in United's history, and he's still going strong - in October 2008 he was rewarded with a one-year contract extension, taking him through to June 2010.

17. Nani

Portuguese Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha (or ‘Nani’ as we all know him) is a powerful and pacy winger. He arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in 2007 and, predictably, was given the tag of being ‘the next Cristiano Ronaldo’.

It’s perhaps an unfair comparison given the heights Ronaldo has scaled in the last two seasons, but Nani will have taken note of how his countryman worked so hard to hone his raw talents in his early years at Old Trafford, transforming inexperience and inconsistency into maturity and regularly threatening displays.

Nani produces explosive bursts of brilliance, his

goals are spectacular and well worthy of his equally extravagant backflip celebrations. But the challenge now, after a patchy second season in England, is to do it consistently at the top level. Like Ronaldo in his first three seasons at Old Trafford, the good form comes in spells. Nani, who scored four goals in 41 appearances as the Reds clinched the Premier League and Champions League trophies, can play on either flank and showed his speed, skill and scoring potential in his first season at OT.

Old Trafford got its first glimpse of Nani's trademark acrobatic celebration when he scored his first United goal against Tottenham in August 2007, and he followed that with goals against Middlesbrough, Arsenal and – the goal that perhaps most endeared him to Reds fans – a great strike in the 3-0 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford in March 2008.

Nani’s move to United was announced in May 2007, the same day Anderson’s arrival from FC Porto was confirmed, though he officially joined United in July 2007 for an undisclosed fee from Sporting Lisbon, after being tracked for some time by Sir Alex Ferguson and his scouting staff. His Sporting debut came at the age of 18, scoring five times in 29 appearances in the Portuguese league in 2006/07. He

found the net on his international debut against Denmark in September 2006, and also featured for Portugal in the Euro 2008 championships in Austria and Switzerland.

Nani overtook his goals tally during his second season with a wonder strike in the 4-2 Carling Cup semi-final second leg clash with Derby. It shows signs of improvement, and Ronaldo has promised Nani will further raise his game. “I really hope he has the same success as me, or even more, because he’s got the ability to do this," said Ronny. "He joined the right club to evolve as a player and as a person.”

16. Michael Carrick

It’s amazing to think Michael Carrick had his detractors at the start of his United career, with some grumblings about his transfer fee - £14m rising to £18.6m with add-ons.

Even after his debut 2006/07 season, in which he carved out a formidable partnership with Paul Scholes as the Reds reclaimed the title, some people predicted he’d slip down the pecking order after the arrival of Owen Hargreaves. But not a bit of it. Carrick has become ever more important to United, maturing into one of English football's most sophisticated and classy passing midfielders.

The first of Carrick's two

league titles with United to date was also the first major honour of his professional career, although he did win the FA Youth Cup with West Ham in 1999, scoring twice in the 9-0 final demolition of Coventry City.

West Ham loaned Carrick out to Swindon in 1999/2000 and then Birmingham in 2000/01 when he earned a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year, eventually won by Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.

Carrick spent much of the 2002/03 season sidelined with injury. West Ham were relegated at the end of it but rather than join Joe Cole, Fredi Kanoute and Jermain Defoe in an exodus, Carrick stayed for a season in the Championship. However, after losing the 2004 play-off final to Crystal Palace, Carrick decided he couldn't wait another year for a return to the Premier League and moved across London to join Tottenham in a transfer worth £2.75m.

He blossomed into an accomplished midfielder in two seasons at White Hart Lane. However, he only scored two goals in 64 games and it seemed this low strike-rate would continue at United, at least for the first few months.

Encouraged by Sir Alex Ferguson to push forward, Carrick eventually weighed in with six strikes from midfield

in 2006/07. His first was a well-taken half-volley against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 13 January 2007; his second, at home to Reading in the FA Cup, was shortlisted for the club's Goal of the Season award (won by Scholes away to Villa). His other goals included two in the 7-1 rout of Roma.

Carrick may have only scored three goals in 2007/08 but his all-round contribution to the cause could not be questioned as the Reds were crowned Champions of England and Europe. No wonder then that club and player agreed a new four-year deal in May 2008, to keep Carrick at United until June 2012.

15. Nemanja Vidic

Nemanja Vidic was oustanding during 2007/08, a campaign in which the Serbian's partnership with Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the Reds' defence was key to United's double success.

As if to emphasise the fact, Vidic turned in a man-of-the-match performance in the Champions League final, keeping a tight reign on Chelsea dangerman Didier Drogba; the Ivorian hitman only had one meaningful shot on goal during a tense night in Moscow.

Against the "big four" sides, Vidic helped United keep clean sheets against Chelsea and Liverpool on their league visits to Old Trafford, and against Arsenal

in the FA Cup. His fellow professionals recognised his talent, too, naming him in the PFA team of the year for the second successive season.

Tall, athletic and solid as a rock, Vida is uncompromising in the tackle and formidable in the air. He began his career with boyhood club Red Star Belgrade, joining their youth programme at 14. His first-team debut didn't arrive until 2001 but he went on to make 22 appearances in his first season.

He eventually ended his stay with Red Star by leading them to Serbia's domestic league and cup double before switching to Russian outfit Spartak Moscow in August 2004. Just 39 games and four goals later, United came calling.

The Reds announced his signing on Christmas Day, 2005. He hadn’t played for two months as the Russian season had recently ended, so it took time for his true ability to shine. But after completing an intensive training programme, Vida began to show his class.

A collar-bone injury sustained at the end of March 2007 kept Vidic out of the bulk of United's title run-in that season, but his performances until that point had been strong enough to help the Reds to the top of the league. His play also inspired a rousing song among

the matchgoing faithful.

The Serbian’s impressive performances continued and earned him a contract extension in 2007 to keep him at the club until 2012.

He said of the improved deal: “Playing in this team is a great privilege. This is such a great club, I am delighted to be able to extend my stay here. The fans and everyone at the club have been very special to me. I hope I can do my bit to bring the club even more trophies in the years ahead.”

True to his word, he did just that, helping United to the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008 and the Carling Cup in 2009.

And while Vida's game has always been built on solid defending, the 2008/09 campaign has also proved highly profitable at the other end of the pitch. The Serbian began chipping in with regular goals, including an injury-time winner against Sunderland and precious openers against Chelsea and Internazionale.

"I love the feeling when you score," Nemanja says, "especially because it's not one of my main jobs. But I try and take up good positions and go up for corners. If you get lucky it's a great feeling."