Over Manchester United’s illustrious history, it would be fair to say that the Red Devils have had some of the finest forwards to ever grace the English game.
There have been some superb goalscoring forwards that have netted vital goals to help win the club some important trophies down the years.
Whether it’s Wayne Rooney, Tommy Taylor, or Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Manchester United have had some world-class strikers.
Here are the fifteen best strikers of all time.
15 – Teddy Sheringham
Jumping forward to the 1990s now in the form of English forward Teddy Sheringham, who was certainly the most underrated striker out of the four for United’s treble-winning campaign of 1999.
Paul Scholes admitted Sheringham was one of the cleverest players he played with and the forward certainly had an eye for goal.
Sheringham netted 46 times in 153 appearances for the Red Devils and also provided 31 assists for the club.
14 – David Herd
David Herd joined United in 1961 and remained at the club for seven years up until 1968 and he certainly made an impact for the Red Devils.
Sir Matt Busby paid just £40,000 for his services in 1961 and he certainly made an impact. In seven years at Old Trafford, he scored 145 times in 265 appearances.
Herd was part of the United side that won the European Cup in 1968 against Benfica and he has to be on our list.
13 – Stan Pearson
Stan Pearson was signed as an amateur in 1935 but then broke into the team pretty quickly before the outbreak of World War 2 stopped him in his tracks.
Following the war, Pearson resumed playing for the Red Devils and under Matt Busby he was a brilliant goalscoring inside-forward.
In 348 appearances for the Red Devils, Pearson netted 143 times in what was a brilliant return.
12 – Jack Rowley
Jack Rowley is a name who had to be included on our list with the lethal Manchester United striker staying at the club for 18 years.
Rowley joined the Reds for £3,000 in 1937 after brief spells with his hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth
Throughout his time at Old Trafford he scored an extraordinary 312 goals for the club in 503 appearances which is a frankly ridiculous return.
11 – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time as manager of Manchester United may well cause some divided opinion, yet as a player, there is no dispute the Norwegian was a brilliant finisher.
Solskjaer netted the most important goal in the club’s history against Bayern Munich on that fateful night in Barcelona in 1999.
Roy Keane named Solskjaer alongside Van Nistelrooy as the best finisher for United and the Norwegian netted 126 times for the Red Devils he had to be on our list.
10 – Robin Van Persie
Kicking off the list is Dutch forward Robin Van Persie. Despite only being at Old Trafford for three years, the impact that the former Arsenal striker made was vital.
Sir Alex Ferguson signed Van Persie from Arsenal for £24 million and in his debut season, the Dutchman scored 26 goals in the division to help the Red Devils lift the Premier League title.
Throughout his three seasons at Old Trafford, Van Persie scored 58 times in 105 games and he is remembered as being a bigger United legend than he was for Arsenal, which says a lot.
9 – Dwight Yorke
Another striker who was key in the 1999 treble campaign was Dwight Yorke, who the Red Devils signed from Aston Villa in the summer of 1998.
The Trinidad and Tobago striker had an incredible impact at Old Trafford as he scored 66 goals and provided 32 assists during his stint at the club.
Joining the club on September of 1949, Dennis Viollet was another player like Taylor who had an extraordinary goal return during his time at Old Trafford.
Blessed with extraordinary pace and the ability to be in the right place at the right time, Viollet scored 179 goals in 293 appearances for the Red Devils.
Viollet escaped from the Munich air disaster with minor head injuries but extraordinarily during the 1959/60 season, he would net 32 times for United in the league.
8 – Mark Hughes
At number eight on our list is Welsh forward Mark Hughes. Current forward Rasmus Hojlund has been compared to Hughes but the Welshman had such a unique profile.
After 37 goals in 89 appearances in his first spell at Old Trafford, Hughes moved to Barcelona but struggled at the Camp Nou before returning to Old Trafford.
Hughes returned to United and netted 83 goals in 265 games including against his former club Barcelona in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1991, and he had to be on our list.
7 – Andy Cole
In at number seven is English forward Andy Cole who remains one of the most prolific strikers in Premier League history.
Cole moved to Old Trafford from Newcastle in 1995 and scored 93 goals in 195 games for the club and formed a lethal partnership with Dwight Yorke.
The English forward would then depart Old Trafford for Blackburn Rovers in 2001 but his legacy remains intact.
6 – Dennis Viollet
Joining the club in September of 1949, Dennis Viollet was another player like Taylor who had an extraordinary goal return during his time at Old Trafford.
Blessed with extraordinary pace and the ability to be in the right place at the right time, Viollet scored 179 goals in 293 appearances for the Red Devils.
Viollet escaped from the Munich air disaster with minor head injuries but extraordinarily during the 1959/60 season, he would net 32 times for United in the league.
5 – Tommy Taylor
Tommy Taylor has often been regarded as the greatest centre-forward to play for Manchester United and England so he simply had to be on our list.
United signed Taylor from Barnsley for just £29,999 pounds in March of 1953, the Red Devils did not want to burden the striker with the £30,000 price tag.
In 191 appearances for the Red Devils, Taylor scored an incredible 131 goals for the club which is a frankly ridiculous return.
Tragically, at the age of 26, Taylor lost his life in the Munich Air Disaster leaving many to reflect on how good he could have possibly become.
4 – Eric Cantona
Gary Neville said Eric Cantona’s signing changed the course of history at United and it would be fair to say the French forward left a big impact during his time at Old Trafford.
Eric Cantona joined Manchester United from rivals Leeds United and made a key impact as the Red Devils won their first Premier League title in 1992.
Cantona scored 64 goals in 163 games at Old Trafford and barring the United forward’s kung fu kick against Crystal Palace, it was a stint to remember for fans of the Red Devils.
The Frenchman’s impact was about more than just goals, he defined an era, helping the club end a 30-year title drought, and his song is still sung in the stands 30 years on.
3 – Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Starting off our top three is the former striker and someone who is now part of the Manchester United coaching staff is Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who was one of the most prolific forwards that England has ever seen.
United appointed Van Nistelrooy as assistant manager in the summer of 2024 but as a player, the Dutchman left a lasting legacy at Old Trafford.
Roy Keane named Van Nistelrooy as the best finisher at United with the Dutchman scoring an incredible 150 times in 219 appearances for the Red Devils, which is a frankly ridiculous return.
2 – Denis Law
Denis Law had to be high up on our list with the Manchester United legend one of the most important players in the club’s history.
Law formed the iconic holy trinity which included winger George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton and he was a prolific goalscorer and was the first Scottish player to lift the Ballon d’Or in 1964 which is a record that still stands today.
As for the amount of goals he scored, the Scotsman scored 201 goals in 404 games which is just less than a goal every other game, which is a brilliant ratio.
1 – Wayne Rooney
Would there be anyone else other than Wayne Rooney? Ferguson signed teenage sensation Rooney from Everton for a record fee for a teenager which was £32 million.
Perhaps not even Ferguson himself could have envisaged the impact that the Scouse teenager would make at Old Trafford.
In 13 successful years at Old Trafford, Rooney won five Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League in 2008 and multiple domestic cups.
Rooney’s fantastic free-kick goal against Stoke City meant he became United’s all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances and he had to be top of our list.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/obtTMEe