Man United vs. Liverpool all-time combined XI: Salah or Ronaldo? Trent or Neville? Van Dijk or Vidic?

Manchester United vs. Liverpool has ne'er been a due Premier League rubric decider, acknowledgment to the Merseyside giants lone conquering the onshore aft the Red Devils had fallen disconnected their throne, but that does not diminish the magnitude of this mammoth matchup.

Sunday's conflict betwixt Arne Slot and Michael Carrick's teams could seal their Champions League fates, though, arsenic the third-placed hosts and fourth-placed visitors some clasp steadfast leads implicit sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who person an 11-point spread to marque up to Man Utd and an eight-point chasm separating them from Liverpool.

Therefore, if Man United triumph astatine Old Trafford, they volition play successful the Champions League adjacent season, whereas Liverpool request to instrumentality each 3 points and anticipation that different results spell their mode to beryllium definite of a top-five decorativeness with 3 games remaining.

Both clubs are acold from their glory days, but competing successful the apical tier of European shot would surely beryllium a measurement successful the close absorption for some Slot and Carrick, arsenic they endeavour to reconstruct their red-clad teams to past laurels.

Here, Sports Mole picks retired its all-time combined XI for Man United and Liverpool up of Sunday's tantalising showdown.

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel

There were galore reasons down United's dominance of the Premier League passim the 1990s, but the beingness of Peter Schmeichel successful extremity was 1 of the biggest.

The large Dane outgo the Red Devils conscionable £505,000 successful 1991 and near 8 years aboriginal arsenic a five-time rubric victor and having made 292 Premier League appearances for the club.

Schmeichel remains the lone goalkeeper to triumph the Premier League Player of the Season grant and was besides named successful the archetypal ever Premier League PFA Team of the Year.

Honourable mentions: Alisson Becker, David de Gea, Edwin van der Sar, Pepe Reina

Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold

Trent Alexander-Arnold whitethorn person near Liverpool successful the summertime of 2025 for Spanish giants Real Madrid, but the right-back was an integral portion of a 2nd Premier League rubric triumph anterior to his departure.

The scouser's trophy haul is dwarfed by that of Gary Neville, who played precisely 400 Premier League games for United and won 8 top-flight titles.

Alexander-Arnold makes it into the combined XI implicit Neville owed to the information helium was not lone palmy successful his ain right, but due to the fact that his originative abilities redefined the relation of full-backs successful the Premier League, with the defender scoring 18 goals and producing 64 assists successful 259 top-flight appearances.

Honourable mentions: Gary Neville, Markus Babbel

Centre-backs: Rio Ferdinand, Virgil van Dijk

Two of the precise best, and arguably the 2 astir complete, centre-backs to ever grace the Premier League marque up our concern for this team, with Rio Ferdinand and Virgil van Dijk offering a precise steadfast instauration for those successful beforehand of them.

Ferdinand turned retired 455 times for Man United betwixt 2002 and 2014, including 312 Premier League outings, proving to beryllium 1 of the cornerstones of different of Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering teams.

The erstwhile England planetary helped the Red Devils to six Premier League titles successful that time, arsenic good arsenic winning 2 League Cups, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Ferdinand was named successful the PFA Premier League Team of the Year 5 times arsenic a Man United subordinate - six times successful full - and is an inductee to the English Football and the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Van Dijk's trophy furniture is not rather arsenic full, but the Dutch colossus has arguably reached a level that nary different Premier League centre-back has ever managed.

Since joining successful 2018, Van Dijk has made much than 200 Premier League appearances for Liverpool and has been named successful the PFA Team of the Year 5 times.

The erstwhile Celtic and Southampton antheral was besides voted the Premier League and PFA Players' Player of the Year for 2018-19, becoming the archetypal outright defender to triumph the second grant for 13 years.

Honourable mentions: Nemanja Vidic, Jaap Stam, Jamie Carragher, Steve Bruce, Sami Hyypia, Gary Pallister

Left-back: Denis Irwin

Mr Dependable passim his 12 seasons with United, Denis Irwin was arsenic adept astatine close oregon left-back and made astir 300 appearances for the nine successful the Premier League, having joined them earlier the caller epoch began.

Also a set-piece specialist, Irwin won 7 Premier League titles and was named successful the PFA Team of the Year twice, providing an indispensable but often underrated beingness astatine full-back during a play of utter dominance from Man United.

Honourable mentions: Andrew Robertson, Patrice Evra, John Arne Riise

Central midfield: Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane

United's haul of 13 Premier League titles to 1 for Liverpool means that galore adjacent calls successful this XI spell the mode of the Red Devils, but Steven Gerrard's quality made him intolerable to permission retired adjacent if his trophy furniture does not comparison to galore of those from Old Trafford.

Voted to the PFA Team of the Year a grounds 8 times, the talismanic skipper besides won the PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Players' Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Fans' Player of the Year (twice) awards during his illustrious 17-year enactment successful the Premier League with Liverpool.

When Gerrard yet called clip connected his Anfield vocation helium near having scored 120 goals successful 504 Premier League appearances, firmly establishing himself arsenic 1 of the top players the contention has ever seen.

Roy Keane tin besides acceptable into that category, and it is hard to ideate a much fearsome and accomplished midfield duo from the Premier League era. Keane helped United to 7 league titles successful a play of 10 years, with 4 of those coming arsenic captain.

Indeed, the outspoken Irishman near arsenic United's astir decorated skipper of each time, portion connected an idiosyncratic level helium was named successful the PFA Team of the Year 5 times and won the PFA Player and FWA Footballer of the Year awards successful 2000.

Honourable mentions: Xabi Alonso, Nicky Butt, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Michael Carrick, Dietmar Hamann, Javier Mascherano

Right wing: Mohamed Salah

There would not beryllium galore arguments with the proposition that Cristiano Ronaldo is the top subordinate to person ever played successful the Premier League, but based solely connected their careers successful England, Mohamed Salah has present overtaken adjacent the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

The Egyptian King wasted nary clip successful establishing himself arsenic Liverpool's main man, mounting a caller Premier League grounds for astir goals scored successful a 38-game run during his debut play erstwhile helium plundered 32.

Salah has gone connected to beryllium Liverpool's starring scorer successful each play since, and astatine the clip of penning sits 4th connected the all-time Premier League goalscorers list, with Unite icon Wayne Rooney up of him successful 3rd place.

The prolific winger is not each astir goals, though - helium besides sits successful the apical 10 for astir assists successful the competition's past and is closing successful connected the apical 3 for astir wide extremity involvements.

A three-time PFA Players' and FWA Footballer of the Year, four-time Golden Boot victor and four-time inclusion successful the PFA Team of the Year, Salah broke records galore during the 2024-25 campaign, including tying for the astir extremity involvements successful a azygous Premier League play ever (47).

Now regarded arsenic 1 of the precise champion Premier League players of each time, Salah besides boasts an unthinkable grounds successful this peculiar fixture, scoring much goals and registering much extremity involvements against Man United than immoderate different subordinate successful the competition's history.

Honourable mentions: Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham

Attacking midfield: Paul Scholes

Even Ronaldo was mesmerised by the passing quality of Paul Scholes, who remains 1 of the astir revered players by erstwhile teammates and different ex-pros.

A one-club man, Scholes ended his vocation successful 2013 conscionable 1 crippled abbreviated of 500 successful the Premier League, during which clip helium scored 107 goals.

Only 1 subordinate has won much Premier League titles than Scholes's tally of 11 successful 19 years, though the proposition that helium was not ever afloat appreciated during his playing vocation is backed up by a deficiency of idiosyncratic awards and the information that helium was lone named successful the PFA Team of the Year twice.

Honourable mentions: Eric Cantona, Bruno Fernandes, Philippe Coutinho

Left-wing: Ryan Giggs

The eventual advert for longevity successful the Premier League era, Ryan Giggs signed his archetypal nonrecreational declaration astatine United successful 1990 and played his 963rd and last crippled for the nine 24 years later.

The Welsh helping wizard made 632 of those appearances successful the Premier League, scoring 109 goals and creating a grounds 162 much arsenic helium outlasted adjacent Sir Alex Ferguson astatine Old Trafford.

Giggs was astatine the nine for each 13 of their Premier League rubric successes - Liverpool and United are the lone clubs to person won much titles successful English shot past than Giggs unsocial - and helium was named successful the PFA Team of the Year connected six occasions.

Honourable mentions: Sadio Mane, Steve McManaman, Marcus Rashford

Centre-forward: Wayne Rooney

Some of the top players successful Premier League past are competing for a solitary striking relation successful this team, but for each of their brilliance nary person the aforesaid premix of longevity, occurrence and goalscoring prowess arsenic Wayne Rooney.

One of lone 3 players to person scored much than 200 goals successful the competition, 183 of those came successful 393 games for Manchester United.

Rooney has besides scored much distant goals than immoderate different subordinate successful the Premier League epoch (94) and boasts 12 seasons successful which helium reached treble figures successful the contention - different record.

A five-time rubric winner, United's all-time starring scorer was named successful the PFA Team of the Year 3 times and won a big of idiosyncratic awards, including the PFA Players' Player, PFA Young Player, PFA Fans' Player, FWA Footballer and Premier League Player of the Season crowns.

Honourable mentions: Robbie Fowler, Luis Suarez, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Andy Cole, Fernando Torres, Dwight Yorke, Michael Owen, Roberto Firmino, Robin van Persie, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Sports Mole's Liverpool vs. Man United Premier League combined XI:

Schmeichel; Alexander-Arnold, Ferdinand, Van Dijk, Irwin; Gerrard, Keane; Salah, Scholes, Giggs; Rooney