Gary Neville names Juan Sebastian Veron in all-time overseas Man United XI

Juan Sebastian Veron may have failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United, but he showed enough to make Gary Neville’s all-time overseas XI for the club.

And Bruno Fernandes, who has only been at the club since January, has already done enough to force his way into Neville’s team.

But there was no room for the current boss and United’s Champions League hero from the treble season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.  

Juan Sebastian Veron has made Gary Neville’s all-time Manchester United overseas XI

Veron, pictured hugging Neville after scoring against Arsenal in December 2002, struggled to live up to the hype when he joined United in a big-money move in the summer of 2001

The former United right back was challenged to come up with his all-time XI excluding players from the British Isles on Twitter on Friday morning, and it has drawn plenty of debate. 

The inclusion of Veron, who signed from Lazio in a big-money move in 2001, raised the most eyebrows. The Argentine won a Premier League title in 2003 but failed to live up to the record £28.1million price tag, and moved on to Chelsea after two years.

He scored 11 goals in 82 appearances in two seasons but did not come close to replicating the form that made him one of the biggest names in world football at the time.

His inclusion drew plenty of reaction on Twitter, with one user even saying: ‘I’d be tempted to go with Anderson over Veron.’

Partnering Veron in central midfield is Bruno Fernandes, who only joined the club in January but has clearly shown enough to merit a place in Neville’s XI.

Fernandes has become a talismanic figure since his move from Sporting Lisbon, and has scored 16 times in 28 appearances.

Neville posted his XI on Twitter on Friday morning, and it drew plenty of reaction

Bruno Fernandes has made the cut, despite only signing for the club in January this year

There was no room for current boss and 1999 Champions League hero Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

He helped United to the semi-finals of the Europa League and guided them back into the Champions League after a poor start to last season.

His on-field leadership even saw him named captain for United’s trip to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

But some people were surprised to see him make the cut, with one tweeting: ‘Bruno. I was hoping Gary would be a bit more clued up than that! 

‘Majority of games he has been average and of course scored a load of pens – yes he improved a poor United team but he would not be fitting in so many other United teams over the years.’

Ruud van Nistelrooy made the side after scoring 150 goals in 219 appearances for United

Neville’s former team-mates Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo also made the team

Rafael was another surprise inclusion from Neville, with some suggesting that former captain Antonio Valencia merited a place instead.

The Brazilian won three Premier League titles at United and ended up replacing Neville at right back when he retired in 2011.

One person wrote on Twitter: ‘I’ll gloss over Veron, but I’m not having Rafael in there. No way, not a chance.’

The rest of Neville’s XI picks itself, with Peter Schmeichel in goal, Jaap Stam and Nemanja Vidic partnering each other at centre back and Patrice Evra completing the back four.

Schmeichel makes the side ahead of current No 1 David de Gea, who has been a regular between the sticks for United now since 2011.

Neville retired the same summer that De Gea joined, but has been effusive in his praise of the Spaniard over the years. De Gea’s longevity saw him overtake Schmeichel as United’s leading overseas appearance-maker in Premier League history.

Edwin van der Sar, who won the 2008 Champions League and reached two finals in 2009 and 2011, also missed out.

In an attacking side, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez patrol the flanks while Eric Cantona partners Ruud van Nistelrooy in attack.

A star-studded front line explains the absence of Solskjaer, even though he was the match-winner in United’s greatest night at the Nou Camp in 1999.

The Norwegian spent over a decade at Old Trafford and scored 126 goals in 366 appearances, and developed a reputation as a super sub.

He won six Premier League titles as a player, two FA Cups and the Champions League in 1999. 

Former South Korean international Park Ji-sung may count himself unlucky to have missed out, as one person said on Twitter: ‘No Park. Thought Park was an amazing player and he very rarely let United down when he played. Was the ultimate big game player too.’

Other notable absentees include Mikael Silvestre, Juan Mata and Andrei Kanchelskis.