Manchester United are about to complete a decade of great contrasts.

When they entered the era, it was a case of normal service resumed under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning the 2011 and 2013 Premier League titles and the 2010 League Cup to boot.

However, since the legendary Scot hung up his hairdryer, United have cycled through David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho in doomed attempts to rediscover that magic.

Now, United are entering the 2020s in an identity crisis under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer where they're winning at the Etihad Stadium one week and losing to the team bottom of the table the next.

So, for all the reasons above, you can imagine how difficult it is to name United's team of the decade.

Neville's team of the decade

We took on the unenviable task a few months ago and now club legend Gary Neville has inherited the challenge as part of Sky Sports' end-of-the-year coverage.

With the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic absent, Neville's picks were bound to cause controversy and you can check out his conclusion - complete with his justifications - down below:

GK - David de Gea

"De Gea has to be the No. 1 goalkeeper of the last decade. He's been outstanding, Manchester United's player of the season for most of the decade.

"He did not have the best of starts but he got there in the end."

RB - Antonio Valencia

"Right-back has been a real problem position for United since I left! Valencia is the one who really made the position his own over the last 10 years, it's too early for Aaron Wan-Bissaka."

CB - Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand

"Ferdinand and Vidic is the best Manchester United centre-back partnership of all time, let alone the last decade."

LB - Patrice Evra

"Left-back has similarly been problem position for United, Ashley Young, Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind have all played there - it's been like the waltzers!

"Evra was a fantastic left-back and he gets in because of his quality at the start of the decade."

LM, CM - Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick

"Manchester United have not had the quality in the centre or left of midfield they had in the early part of the decade.

"Scholes is my favourite United player ever, Giggs is the most-decorated and Carrick was an unsung hero for many years that kept everyone else ticking over.

"Those three are shoo-ins because of their roles in the title wins at the start of the decade."

RM - Marcus Rashford

"On the right I have gone for Rashford because he is the one player in the last four to five years that has come in and looks like he could play in any United team over the past 25 years."

ST - Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney

"Rooney and Van Persie were the outstanding strikers of the decade at Manchester United."

Full starting XI

GIVEMESPORT's Kobe Tong says

I agree with you, Gary, on the most part.

Neville has spent the last few hours justifying his decisions on Twitter and the inclusion of Rashford has been explained away by United's lack of talent out wide since 2010.

It's for that exact reason that I would tweak things slightly, converting to a 4-3-3 formation and ejecting both Giggs and Rashford from the team.

While Giggs and Pogba don't even compare when you look at their careers overall, the latter simply has to be included over the former when we're talking about the decade alone.

Giggs was on a steady decline after his 2009 PFA Player of the Year award and less than 15 goals during the decade in question means Pogba, reluctantly, is surely more deserving.

And while I'm certainly less perturbed by Rashford's selection than most, my inclinations point me towards Ibrahimovic who - despite playing in just 53 games - made a massive impact.

That, and the fact Ibrahimovic's sole season at Old Trafford saw him score more than double than Rashford's most prolific season in the senior ranks. Otherwise, Gary, I think you're spot on.