[funkdoctorspock]

Was reading Reading's manager and former Manchester United player Steve Coppell's comments ahead of the matchup this week and he said the following

About Ronaldo:

"He's scoring goals and he's also creating things for the team as well. He's got an awful lot going on in his game and he's a threat to any side in the world. You can only stand back and admire him because he's broken the mould in terms of what wide players can do.”

About Rooney:

"It’s not just Ronaldo, then there's Wayne Rooney. On the four occasions United have lost this season, he hasn't played. I watched their FA Cup tie at Aston Villa and he really made the difference when he came on for the last 20 minutes. That's why he cost £25 million as a 17-year-old, he makes things happen."

- both quotes from this article: Here

So it got me thinking about which player United can't live without.

So, I ask you all. Who do you think is United's most important player? Which players value on the pitch is easily shown when they aren't on the pitch? Name your top 3, state the reasons why and lets see how this ends up.



[My three are: 1. Rio Ferdinand 2. Wayne Rooney 3. Cristiano Ronaldo. I'll give my explanation a bit later]

[randy420]

Only three huh? Damn you funky, you dirty dirty man!

ok, here's my go at it.

1. Edwin van der Sar: While we were still able to win while he was out, we seemed to lack a lot of goals when PIG was our starting keeper. Eddy just brings confidence and experience to the back 4. Yes he is prone to making a few mistakes (end of last season) but for the most part those are few and far between. When he is in goal the back 4 seems even more solid and for me personally he makes me feel much more confident of our chances at keeping clean sheets and picking up the victory.

2. Rio Ferdinand: This is pretty self explanatory really. The majority of England fans slate him for being to overconfident and lazy with his play, and as such they don't rate him as top defender. But all you have to do is watch United when he plays and you can see the class just ooze out of him. Sometimes he makes stupid, stupid mistakes (away to Pompey last season) but those seem to be few and far between, and all the times between those when he is the rock at the back makes you easily forget about those. He may be very casual on the ball, and while he is defending sometimes, but you almost always know that he is going to come out on the winning side of the challenge. He's clearly not the rough and tumble defender who gets stuck in and throws himself about all the time, but he still gets the job better than the major majority of other defenders. Plus it's always a treat when we play teams that just sit back, allow us to press them, and watching Rio go on those runs from defence all the way through to the attack to try and create.

3. Paul Scholes: Even in his advancing years, Scholesy is still an amazing player. Many players and managers have said that Scholes is probably the best player of his generation, which is quite the compliment considering the other players during the time (Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, Keano). Scholesy possesses one of the best footballing brains there is, his passing is absolutely sublime and his vision is second to none. He just seems to know what the players around him are going to, and the runs they are going to make and he just seems to have a knack for putting the ball right into their path, at just the point that it should go. I've said all this without mentioning how much of a goal threat he is either. He is absolutely deadly from the edge of the box, or just outside the box, rocketing shots towards goal. I've had the belief, and this has been echoed by a large amount of other parts of the United supporting world, that when Scholes is on his game, that United are on their game, and when he's having an off day, that United seem to have a bit of an off day too.

[swatson]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Ronnie and Rooney together are the most lethal. You take one out of the equation and the team has a different look all together. However, there are still players like Giggs and Scholes are also very important in attack, but there's something special about the two mentioned before.

Therefore, at present, Ronaldo because of his form and ability, Rooney because of his ability and work ethic and Giggs because of his pure class and experience are the three most important attacking players in my opinion. (Ofcourse Rio's absence was quiet evident when we lost to AC Milan...but thats defense...)

[USAManUtd13]

Scholes, Giggs and Rooney

explanations later...maybe

[macca247]

1.Ronaldo
2.Rooney
3.Rio
4.Scholes

[Torque]

Rooney - you know why
Ronaldo - he can make things happen in a blink of an eye
Rio - he's always there when you need him

The three "R"

[bezimeni]

Ronaldo at the moment is our MVP. I think Tevez is forgotten on the short MVP selection list. He scored so many vital goals and covers the holes in the middle and even returns to help defense when needed. He would be tied nr.3 in my MVP choice list with Rooney. Ferdinand is 2nd. Sensational player in our defensive line up. Tough choice but at the moment I'd still say Ronaldo is without any doubt United's Most Important Player

[moley]

1. Rio Ferdinand - has kept the defence organized well in the absence of Neville plus he is a top draw defender may not go in hard for tackle but he doesnt need to. Also got a lot of skill with the ball at his feet as well.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - he can dribble, he can cross, he's got bags of pace and a lot of strength he can score with his left right and his head if he was a bit better defensivly he would be the perfect player
3. I'm not sure if I should say Rooney or Scholes, i think we have performed very well even with Scholes out of the team but no so well when Rooney isnt there but thats more down to the quality of cover we have in midfield if we had a striker like Eto'o or Ruud in standby I'm sure we wouldant have missed Rooney as much as we did.

[dada]

Individually I'd say Ronaldo(look at his resume). Looking at the current squad(considering injuries etc) at this point in time I would say its a tie between Rooney, Evra and Rio. I know its cheating to pick 3 players but based on their play and the lack of adequate substitutes I didnt have an option.

Rooney because we currently have only 3 quality strikers. Saha is quality but he is not dependable and Tevez doesnt not perform half as well as Rooney does in an adnanced position leading the attack. Rooney's grit is especially key in giving some character to our assaults and while we can cope well without him for short spells I dotn believe we could given the current squad in the long run of the season.

Its pretty much the same story for Rio as he is really the leader around the back who keeps everything in order for our attackers to go forward to their hearts content. Vidic is a very very solid defender but he doesnt provide the same calm leadership in key situations as Rio. If we lost Rio for any considerable time we really dont have that rock solid defender behind him who can come in even pretend to fill his shoes.

As for Evra, he has shown me over the course of the year that he is definitely a hard man. I was very concerned with the frequent tumbles he had early in the season which could have lead to potential injuries but everytime he has fallen he has gotten up for the most part. We realyl dont have anyone who could fill his shoes and provide that pace in attack down the left side. He has been immense for us and has played key roles in many of our big victories. We would definiely be lacking in defense as well given our current squad if he were to go out for any long period.

Ronaldo is definitely just as important as these players but we have adequate bodies who can play the wing role so if we were to lose him for a long stretch we could cope well enough.

[RobsonLegend]

He said THREE. How hard is that to understand? Reminds me of the Holy Hand Grenade rules:

"First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin, then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it. Amen."

Ok, anyway, my three:

First two are shoo-ins: Ronaldo and Rooney. I don't think I can really add to what's been said about them to this point. They're on absolutely incredible form this season, and they complement each other well.

I would like to add that I feel they need each other as much as the team needs them both. Without Rooney, United loses some spark and energy up front, and Ronaldo ends up trying to do too much on his own. Without Ronaldo, there's a creative element and the natural linkup between the United half and the attacking half.

The third one has bee much much harder for me to think of. I'll go over why I didn't choose certain players:

Giggs: getting up in age. Still showing some good form, but it's obvious he's going through a transitionary phase of his career. Everything he can do well, we have another player who can do it--just not all in one.

Scholes: another one not getting any younger, and Anderson's development, while not making me go "Scholes who," has been enough to cover for what could have been a crippling loss for the team when Scholesy went down. Can't wait to see him come back, though.

Hargreaves: too injury-prone. I feel that quietly, he's been having a solid season to date. It's just that he hasn't played enough. Someday, I hope to say that he'll be on the List of 3. Right now, he's well short of it.

Anderson: too early. I love his marauding box-to-box style, and his play right now evokes memories of Keane and Robson. I hope he continues to develop on the path he's been on.

Tevez: his contribution to this season's run so far has been immense, but there have also been times when he's looked lost out there. Thankfully, those occasions have been few and far between.

So I came down to Rio or Vidic. And I honestly can't decide between the two. They have been rock-solid, even when the defensive play on the wings has been a bit suspect this season. This partnership very much reminds me of Bruce and Pallister in their heyday. I guess I'm giving the edge to Rio for his leadership and organization (which I think can be better). Oh, and his finishing, too.

So there it is: Ronaldo, Rooney, and Ferdinand.