Manchester United great Sir Alex Ferguson rates Denis Irwin as his most valuable player.

Irwin - dubbed 'Mr Reliable' - would be Ferguson's first name on the teamsheet, the Scot has revealed.

"Honestly, I would say Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to get in the team. I called him an eight out of ten," he said.

"At Highbury in one game, he had a bad pass back in the last minute and [Dennis] Bergkamp came in and scored.

"After the game the press said: 'You must be disappointed in that pass back'. I said:'Well, one mistake in 10 years isn't bad'. He was an unbelievable player."