27. Mikael Silvestre

Mikael Silvestre is one of the most experienced members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad. In fact, at the end of the 2006/07 season, only four members of the current side had played for United more times.

This impressive record owes much to Mikael’s ability to play in two different positions: centre-back and left-back. As such, he’s survived the threat posed by new acquisitions and been invaluable to the manager when others have been suspended or injured. In the latter stages of 2005/06, he was the one patrolling Gabriel Heinze’s patch on the left flank while new-boy Nemanja Vidic partnered central lynchpin Rio Ferdinand.

The return to left-back, where he’d once been resident, enabled Silvestre to show off some of his attacking skills, including a pinpoint cross for Wayne Rooney’s goal against Arsenal in April 2006. He later described that 2-0 win for United as the best match of his career.

"I was up against Alexandr Hleb and Emmanuel Adebayor, but I achieved the objectives I set myself. I had a huge amount of determination. It was a benchmark game for me,” he said.

Silvestre then went to the 2006 World Cup, where he played in France's 2-0 win over Togo.

Position:	Defender
Appearances:	358
Goals:	10
Joined United:	02 Sep 1999
Transfer Fee:	£4million
Previous Clubs:	Internazionale
United Debut:	11 Sep 1999 v Liverpool (A)
International	France