I oversaw some of United's biggest deals but ageing veteran was most important

Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rio Ferdinand were some of the star-studded names to arrive during his tenure, first as finance director in 1997 before his promotion to top chief in 2003.

He and the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson worked closely to bring in the best talent, and it's goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar who he names as the most important signing made during his time at Old Trafford.

Ferdinand asked on the VIBE with FIVE podcast for his top three transfers and Gill said: "I would say Wayne [Rooney] in terms of what he did for the club.

"I would say Michael Carrick, what he brought in terms of... all that. Then I would say either, well I can have to two, well there's a lot, [Nemanja] Vidic and [Patrice] Evra."

Gill went on to add: "But I think in terms of importance for the club, I think one of the most important ones was Edwin.

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"We struggled to replace Peter [Schmeichel] and then we went out and got Edwin, he was great for us."

Van der Sar signed for United from Fulham in a reported £2million deal in 2005 at the veteran age of 34 but he still went on to make 266 appearances for the club.

The Dutchman won four Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Champions League, saving Nicolas Anelka's final penalty in the 2008 final shootout against Chelsea.

Many of those honours came with the other players that Gill listed, with Rooney arguably one of the greatest in United's history.

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The former England captain remains their highest record scorer ever with 253 goals, doing so in 559 matches across all competitions.

Carrick, who spent 12 years at Old Trafford, formed part of a strong and reliable United midfield that also included the legendary Paul Scholes.

Vidic is regarded as one of the Premier League's greatest centre-backs and also served as club captain, with his defensive efforts key to five of their Premier League titles and the Champions League win.

Evra was also pivotal alongside his fellow defender, and his long-term boss Ferguson wasn't shy to praise his leadership during his seven-and-a-half season at the club.