Man Utd’s XI the last time Cristiano Ronaldo faced Leicester and where they are now

Man Utd fans snap up Ronaldo shirts at Old Trafford

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When Cristiano Ronaldo takes to the field against Leicester on Saturday, the Manchester United star will be facing the Foxes for the first time since 2004. The Portugal star is expected to start the contest, despite featuring in both of his country’s matches against Qatar and Luxembourg during the international break. So Express Sport will now dip into the archives and look at the team Sir Alex Ferguson put out that day, and where they are now.

Manchester United weren’t at their best against Leicester in 2004.

But that didn’t matter, with Ferguson’s team winning 1-0 courtesy of a rare goal from Gary Neville.

Ronaldo was the provider for the right-back, who lashed home from close range after the Portugal forward’s mis-hit shot had deflected off Nikos Dabizas.

It was a victory that boosted United’s chances of finishing second in the table, with Arsenal winning the title that year.

And Ferguson’s decision to tinker with his team that day ultimately worked.

In goal was Roy Carroll.

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The Northern-Irishman is now a goalkeeping coach these days and he was still playing as recently as earlier this year, with Dungannon Swifts in his homeland.

Neville, the goalscorer, was selected at right-back.

And he’s extremely prominent these days, doing punditry work with Sky Sports and doing interviews with sporting figures such as Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dina Asher-Smith on The Overlap.

For the centre-back positions, Ferguson picked Wes Brown and John O’Shea together.

Brown now works for the club itself in an ambassadorial role and he’s often seen on MUTV providing punditry.

O’Shea, meanwhile, is part of the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21 coaching staff after hanging up his boots in 2019.

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At left-back, Mikael Silvestre got the nod.

The France international would later join Arsenal but, at the moment, he’s building his rum business in the Caribbean.

Marouane Fellaini appears to be a fan of his product, following the Rhum St Barth Twitter account.

In midfield, United went with the experienced duo of Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.

Butt was a coach at Old Trafford until earlier this year and, recently, he explained his decision to leave by saying: “I went to head of first-team development. From there, I couldn’t see where my next step was.

“When I get frustrated in a role or a job, as I did, I’m a different kind of person. I become irritable, not happy. I blame everybody else. The same thing happened to me as a player. When I start getting that feeling, I need to get out.

“As a player, I saw people I thought I was better than — in fact, I knew was better than — playing rather than me and that made me miserable.

“I was getting irritated about some of the stuff going on at the club. I felt irritable within myself. I needed to change. Most people don’t leave Man United unless they have something lined up. I had nothing lined up.

“I just knew my personality, how I react to things and that it was time to leave. I didn’t know where my next step was at the club.”

Scholes is a pundit for BT Sport and, while he was shy during his playing days, he now seems comfortable in the spotlight.

Ronaldo lined up on the right and, given he’s a United player again, no more information is needed.

On the left wing, the Red Devils went with David Bellion.

Bellion retired in 2016 and is currently working at French side Red Star as a creative director.

And, up top, United selected Diego Forlan and Louis Saha together.

Forlan retired back in 2019 after a glittering career where he sparkled in La Liga, with Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.

The Uruguayan advised United over the signing of Facundo Pellistri, his compatriot, and has spoken to club media in recent weeks.

And Saha has recently founded AxisStars, a company that ‘brings integrity & trust to the Sport & Ents industries’.

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