Fergie's finest XI

To mark Sir Alex Ferguson's 25-year anniversary as Man United boss we're asking you to pick his best ever XI.

When Sir Alex Ferguson inherited a Manchester United side in 21st place in the old First Division back in 1986 few predicted he would still be at Old Trafford at the end of the decade, let alone in 2011. On November 6 he will celebrate a quarter of a century at the helm of English football's most successful club. In 25 glorious years he has led United to 12 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, two Champions League wins and a Cup Winners' Cup. The Scot would concede he could not have achieved any of this success without some brilliant players. Indeed, if he was asked to pick a best ever XI from those he'd managed during his time in Manchester we reckon he'd still be weighing up his options come May. To help him out we are inviting Sky Sports readers to do the donkey work by voting for a best ever United side; to be made-up solely from players who played under him at some point in the past 25-years. Will David Beckham get the nod or has Cristiano Ronaldo got the number seven shirt stitched up? Is Cantona still king or has Wayne Rooney done enough to dump the Frenchman to the touchline? Over the next few weeks we'll be asking for your votes and thoughts on each position; kicking off with the best United goalkeepers to have lined up between the posts since Sir Alex strode into Old Trafford 25 years ago. Get your vote in now or risk having Massimo Taibi in goal for the next 25 years!

Les Sealey - 56 United appearances

The late Les Sealey, who passed in 2001 after a heart attack, will be fondly remembered by all at Old Trafford. He may not be able to match the appearances of his rivals for the No.1 jersey but he certainly made an impression during his short but eventful time in Manchester. In just his third appearance for the club, whilst on loan from Luton, he played in an FA Cup final replay in place of the shaky Jim Leighton. He kept a clean sheet as United beat Crystal Palace 1-0, before starting the following campaign as first choice. His finest moment came against Barcelona in the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup final against Barcelona. Despite struggling with a knee injury he defied the doctors to put in a sterling display, as United saw off the Catalan giants in Rotterdam. Gone but not forgotten.

Peter Schmeichel - 400 United appearances

What more can be said about the great Dane? Schmeichel is arguably not just the best goalkeeper in United's history but the greatest of all time. In 1992 and 1993 he was voted the world's best goalkeeper, while his clean sheets-to-games ratio in the Premier League (42% of the games he played in the league ended without his team conceding) may never be bettered. Sir Alex described the £530,000 he paid Brondby for his services in 1991 as 'the bargain of the century', with five FA Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, and a UEFA Champions League winners' medal testimony to Schmeichel's efforts in a United shirt.

Fabian Barthez - 139 United appearances

Barthez joined United for £7.8 million in 2000 after starring for France in the 1998 World Cup and European Championship two years later. Ferguson was looking for a charismatic successor to Schmeichel and for a while it looked as though Barthez could be just the man. In his first season at Old Trafford he was an unqualified success as United supporters quickly took to a player not alien to the concept of playing to the crowd. He won the Premier League in his first season but his next two campaigns were mixed as high-profile errors became almost as regular as eye-catching saves. At the end of 2002/03 Ferguson had had enough and shipped him back to France.

Tim Howard - 77 United appearances

Like Barthez, Howard is remembered for some high-profile errors but for the most part he was a reliable pair of hands in United's goal. In his first season for the club, after being brought to England from MetroStars in 2003, he won a place in the PFA team of the year. The FA Cup final success over Millwall was another highlight. The arrival of Edwin van der Sar in 2005 signalled the end of his Old Trafford adventure but in subsequent years he has proven to be a first-class goalkeeper at Everton.

Edwin van der Sar - 264 United appearances

As many fallen Manchester United goalkeepers will testify, taking over the gloves from Peter Schmeichel is no easy task. Sir Alex admits one of his biggest mistakes as United manager was not signing Van der Sar sooner, with the Dutchman the only keeper who has come close to matching the standards set by the Dane. A calming presence, who'd already seen and done it all when he arrived at United from Fulham in 2005, Van der Sar was an outstanding influence in helping United to four Premier League titles and European glory. In terms of consistency he has no equal, with errors kept to an absolute minimum during six magnificent years in Manchester.