Cristiano Ronaldo Missing, Van Persie Named in Man United Top 5 Strikers of Premier League Era
- Ruud Van Nistelrooy who scored 150 goals for Manchester United emerges best striker for the club
- ESPN writer Mark Odgen has ranked the top five strikers who ever played for the Red Devils
- Despite spending just five years with the Premier League outfit, Van Nistelrooy left a lasting impression
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The greatest strikers who have featured for Manchester United during the Premier League era have been ranked, with Ruud van Nistelrooy leading the pack according to ESPN.
Van Nistelrooy who arrived the Old Trafford in 2001 for a then-British record transfer fee of £19million has been named as Manchester United's best striker for the club.
In his 219 appearances in his five seasons for the Red Devils, the goal machine who is now 44 years old scored a staggering 150 goals.
He later had a tough relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson before he moved to Spanish club Real Madrid in 2006 – but he left a lasting impression in the Premier League and on United fans.
In a compilation by ESPN’s Mark Ogden, Van Nistelrooy was an "absolute cold-hearted goalscorer."
Ogden explained via SPORTbible:
"Van Nistelrooy was just an absolute cold-hearted goalscorer -- 150 goals in 219 games.
"Had his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson not deteriorated as it did, I think he would have gone on to become the all-time top scorer at United.
"If he has a sight on goal, take a shot and go -- and that's what Van Nistelrooy did. He was freakishly good.
"His strike rate was just incredible. He scored at 0.66 -- that's his strike ratio. It's just, for me, outstanding [...].
"We didn't see the best of him, maybe, because his time at United ended a bit too quickly."
Source: Getty Images
Below are ESPN's top five picks for United's best Premier League strikers of all time.
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
4. Eric Cantona
3. Wayne Rooney
2. Robin van Persie
1. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has played with and against several top strikers in the world, but just 10 of them made lasting impacts on him.
The Brazilian joined the Blues as a free agent last summer and he has been impressive for the west London club who are fourth on the log.
With his career set to clock two decades next year, the legendary centre-back has now named the 10 strongest and most difficult players that I have had the chance to play against.
Source: Legit.ng
