THE arguments will rage this weekend if Manchester City join United in the history books and complete the Treble.
Which side is better?
EPAErling Haaland would not get into the Manchester United Treble winning team[/caption]
GettyThat is according to Dwight Yorke, left[/caption]
It may not surprise you what Dwight Yorke thinks when asked to compare Pep Guardiola’s trophy machine to the Red Devils’ 1999 vintage.
Yorke was top scorer with 29 goals that season, his first at Old Trafford, as they became the only English club to win the title, FA Cup and Champions League in an unforgettable campaign.
And Yorke would not swap a single player for one of City’s — well, he might try and squeeze Kevin De Bruyne into the midfield.
Yorke, 51, said: “People try to compare the teams.
“We were more physical, we had better players. You can’t tell me they have better than Paul Scholes and Roy Keane.
“Maybe Kevin De Bruyne would get into our midfield.
“But no defender on the planet would want to face Ryan Giggs at his very best. He was a class act.
“Look at David Beckham and his delivery of a ball.
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“Yes, Erling Haaland is unique but the way we played and the formation we played in, I wouldn’t swap him for what we had.
“We had a great combination with myself and Andy Cole.
“Don’t get me wrong, it is an incredible feat what he has done.
“Scoring 52 goals in 52 appearances with a game still to go is something else. But I still would take my combination with Andy.
“Also, I would put my money on Jaap Stam handling Haaland and behind him we had the best goalkeeper in the world at the time in Peter Schmeichel.”
What City are about to achieve does not bother Yorke as it does many in the red half of Manchester.
He added: “I admire this City team and wish them the best but we will always be the first English team to create history with the Treble — they are just joining us.”
It brings back some great memories from 24 years ago when United rocked the footballing world with the skill, drama and incredible belief to achieve what they did.
Yorke said: “We were just on a roll.
“When you have confidence players high on that confidence, it is a tremendous feeling.
“Even when our backs were against the wall we believed.
“We were without Scholes and Keane in that final and it wasn’t a good game.
“I remember missing a late chance, the chance I wanted to equalise and you just hope someone bails you out — and they did.”
Yorke will be looking out for £100million man Jack Grealish, who has made that same journey from Aston Villa to a club on the verge of something special.
The former Trinidad and Tobago striker said: “Obviously there is a connection there with Aston Villa.
“It was a lot of money to pay and a step up, like it was for me.
“The demands are different and you have to adjust to that.
“I was able to immediately as the Treble was my very first season.
“It has taken time for Jack but the work Pep does with players improves them and he clearly trusts him now.”
Yorke, like Grealish, will never lose that connection with the club that helped propel him on to the biggest of stages in football.
Indeed, it was on the eve of the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich that Yorke made sure he thanked his old Villa Park boss.
It was Graham Taylor who spotted the talent in Yorke on a Villa pre-season tour in the Caribbean.
Yorke said: “I just wanted to remind him of my gratitude.
“He gave me that opportunity to come to England.
“I was at the pinnacle of my career, on the biggest stage, so I rang the person who gave me that opportunity.
“He just told me to, ‘Go out there and make history’.”
Yorke made his own bit of history as a manager last year when he lead A-League side Macarthur FC to their first-ever trophy in the Australian Cup final.
While Yorke would later part company with the club, it has made him even more determined to have a career in management.
Yorke said: “I really believe I have a lot to give as a manager and I’m just waiting for the next opportunity.”
He has been impressed with Erik ten Hag’s first season at United but believes there is still some way to go.
Yorke said: “He has got a platform to build on after coming third and winning the EFL Cup but they are still far away from City.
“What this United team needs is a No 9, that needs to be resolved.
“Harry Kane fits that bill. He still has a few more years and he will give you 25 goals.”
So, finally, what would be his message if he was City boss in Istanbul tonight as they prepare to face Inter Milan.
Yorke added: “You go down in legend with the big trophy and Pep knows it
“So I would say, ‘This is history, make it — you are not going to get another chance’.”