i'm going with one of recent times....its Gary Palister.
the bedrock of their central defence in the late 80s and throughout the 90s.
Irony of it all - when United fans discuss 'their best players of all time' , few if any seem to want to bring up defenders.
Gary Neville had guys like Gary Palister to learn from - not saying Gary was schooled by the seniors of those days, but im sure it didn't do his game any harm.
Although it was his excellent defensive displays that helped Manchester United to the league title along with Steve Bruce at the heart of the defence, forming one of the best central defensive partnerships in the club's history, in the 1992–93 season, he scored a memorable goal in the final home game of the season against Blackburn Rovers. Into stoppage time, with his team winning 2–1, he stepped up to drive a free-kick into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area. It was his first goal of the season and just about summed up an incredible season for Manchester United. He partnered Bruce in central defence for virtually every game until Bruce left United to join Birmingham City on a free transfer at the end of the 1995–96 season. The following campaign saw Pallister partnered with either Bruce's former understudy David May or with new signing Ronny Johnsen, and ended with United winning their fourth league title in five seasons.
The final season Pallister played for Manchester United was the 1997–98 season in which Manchester United came second in the league table, losing by one point to Arsenal.
During his time at Manchester United, Pallister won the FA Cup in 1990, 1994 and 1996, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1991, Football League Cup in 1992, Premier League title in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997. He was also part of the team that came second in the league in 1992, 1995 and 1998, as well as the team that finished runners-up in the League Cup in 1991 and 1994 and the FA Cup in 1995. By the time of his departure from Old Trafford after nine years, he was the only player to have collected winner's medals in all of the club's successes under Alex Ferguson's management, and second only to Brian McClair (who left United at the same time) he was the club's longest serving player.