As one of the oldest football teams in the United Kingdom, Manchester United has many players who are celebrated frequently. What about those who were behind the scenes or who aren’t quite recognised properly for their outstanding talent and contributions? Let’s talk about Manchester United’s most underrated players. We’ll review some players who you might have heard of but aren’t the first ones to come to mind when detailing Manchester’s storied history.
Ji-Sung Park
Park’s name isn’t heard very often when talking about players who contributed to the overall success of Manchester United, but he should be. Park played 134 games for the team and scored key goals in the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal and Chelsea. While scoring in important moments isn’t the recipe for being a legend, Ji-Sung Park also consistently worked hard on the field and was an excellent passer.
In our opinion, he remains underrated because Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t let him play enough, though it seems like the rewards for having Park on the field were as substantial as hitting the jackpot on slot games with cash rewards. There are some rumours that Park is relatively unknown because team management felt that Park’s presence was a marketing tactic to open European football to Asian markets. Still, Park’s actual skill and value have proven him worthy of discussion.
Dwight Yorke
Yorke did well for Manchester United in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where he contributed to a Champions League victory, in addition to winning FA and Premier League cups. His energy on the field, sneakiness around defences, and aerial abilities led to 66 goals in 152 matches. His scoring ability also showed during one particular match in 2001 against Arsenal when he scored three goals on the way to a 6-1 rout.
Why isn’t Yorke more recognised as a top contributor? At the time of Dwight’s peak, Manchester had plenty of talent and frequently shared a field and locker room with legends, so he didn’t exactly get the spotlight the way he could have on a lesser team.
Clayton Blackmore
We are going to dig back a bit more into the 1980s and 1990s here. Blackmore played 245 games for Manchester United and became well known for his solid left foot and his ability to be physical as a midfielder. No moment was too big for Clayton, as hardcore Manchester fans will remember him for an outstanding goal-line clearing in 1991’s UEFA Cup. One doesn’t see those kinds of plays every day, but Blackmore pulled it off!
Today’s fans simply don’t recognise midfielders and defence with the same fondness as attackers. To be fair, Clayton wasn’t exactly one to engage too much with the media or attempt to draw attention to himself, so maybe we understand why!
Tony Dunne
When it comes to name recognition, Dunne has a problem similar to that of Dwight Yorke. While Dunne had extraordinary athletic ability and great field vision with fantastic passing and above-average speed, he also played with an excellent team where he didn’t stand out all that much. Dunne helped Manchester earn two cups as well, in 1963 and 1968. One who truly digs deep into Manchester history will appreciate Dunne’s contributions to the team 60 years ago. They’ll have to look past the fact that he only scored two goals.
Denis Irwin
Like Dunne, Denis Irwin was an Irish defender, but Irwin played decades late in the 1990s. Irwin played for over ten years and made many starts at 511. While Irwin wasn’t a goal scorer, finishing with 33, he made major contributions to multiple league titles, a couple of FA cups and a European title.
Danny Welbeck
Danny made our list because he was an excellent, energetic two-way player. If the ball was turned over and headed the wrong way, fans would certainly see Welbeck moving at full speed to set up a defence. Overall, this took away from what some teams and fans see as a critical contribution in that Danny didn’t find the back of the net often, but his efforts always made it clear that he would do anything to win.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Some say he looked like a kid on the field. Others say a kid most certainly could not kick like him. Ole played with Manchester United for 11 seasons and scored 91 times in 235 league matches, which is a good ratio. Solskjaer’s magical ability was to be in the right place at the right time with the right foot. He helped seal the 1999 Champions League final, too.
Roger Byrne
Few will remember Roger Byrne unless they are familiar with the Busby Babes era and the Munich air disaster that killed eight Manchester United players. Byrne wasn’t all that athletically talented, but he was willing to work hard and play smart in order to be a major player for Manchester. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get to see what Byrne might have turned out to be.
Conclusion
Many more Manchester United players have flown under the radar since the birth of the team in the mid-1800s. The team’s overall success lends to having key players who aren’t readily recognised because there are so many with serious star power that some just aren’t considered all that often. Did we miss anyone? Or is there anyone we should take off this list? Let us know!
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