50 Cristiano Ronaldo

2003-present, 291 starts, 118 goals

One of the rules of writing for The Times is that you avoid referring to yourself in the first person unless you have been on the newspaper for about 20 years, but, for once, I'm going to let my hair down. Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the second most naturally gifted United player of all time and there’s a good chance that one day he will be mentioned in the same breath as Pele and Diego Maradona. But there’s also a very good chance that he won’t be at Old Trafford for much longer. I’m not trying to be controversial by making him No 50, it’s just that real United legends don’t want to play for Real Madrid and real United legends don’t dive. Anyway, I’d feel like an idiot if he signed for Real this summer after I’d put him in front of Bryan Robson, Roger Byrne and Denis Law. If Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro kept his mouth shut and stayed on his feet, he would have been No 3. As things stand, on this list he's No 50.

49 Mark Robins

1986-92, 27 starts, 17 goals

The late-Eighties were not a great time to be a United fan. Alex Ferguson was stamping his authority and getting rid of players such as Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside and all the Old Trafford faithful were watching in return was home defeats by Crystal Palace. Matters came to a head before an FA Cup third-round tie away to Nottingham Forest in January 1990 when newspapers reported that Ferguson would be dismissed if United lost. United beat Forest 1-0 thanks to a goal by Robins and went on to lift the Cup – their first trophy under Ferguson – after another Robins winner against Oldham Athletic in a semi-final replay. If Robins had not scored at the City Ground, Ferguson could have been history – although United have denied that the manager's job was on the line – and that would have meant no treble, no two European Cups, no five FA Cups and no 11 league titles.

48 Brian McClair

1987-98, 399 starts, 127 goals

United are spoilt for choice when it comes to forwards these days but in the late-Eighties they could rely only on a few players to put the ball in the back of the net. One of those players was a hardworking, versatile Scotland international who loved scoring goals. Bought for £850,000 from Celtic in July 1987, McClair scored 24 league goals in his first season and he hit it off with Mark Hughes when the Welshman returned to United in May 1988. Unlike many strikers, McClair had no airs and graces and he was happy to stick around at Old Trafford, picking up trophies and playing wherever he was needed. He loves the place so much that he’s still there, running the youth academy.

47 Tony Dunne

1960-73, 535 starts, 2 goals

In the old days, playing as a full back didn’t mean bombing forward and overlapping, it meant defending and Dunne was one of the best in the business. Signed by Matt Busby for £5,000 from Shelbourne in 1960, Dunne made the No 3 shirt his own for most of the Sixties and he was still the best left back at the club when he was allowed to join Bolton Wanderers in 1973.