Manchester United could badly do with a centre-back partnership like Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic now. 

Whatever you think of Harry Maguire, it's the slot next to him which has never been convincingly filled. 

Eric Bailly just can't stay fit and Victor Lindelof is bullied by strikers far too easily.

Back in the day under Sir Alex Ferguson, United had no such problems. 

Vidic and Ferdinand were one of the great modern pairings. The Serbian was brilliant in the air, while the former England international was technical and paved the way for many ball-playing defenders like him. 

Many consider Vidic to be the best Premier League centre-back ever. That's a debate that's raging amidst the dominance of Virgil van Dijk, but the five-time champion has a serious argument to make. 

But if you've somehow forgotten the brilliance of Vidic and Ferdinand's partnership, you can relive it below in a video from the Champions League's official Twitter account. 

Stopping Leo Messi in his tracks, flying into tackles with Didier Drogba. The duo were simply fearless and imperious. 

Most importantly, they were crucial to the success of the late-Fergie era. That United side of 2007/08 which won the Champions League was iconic from top to toe, but you don't win European titles without a solid spine. 

It seemed Ferdinand would see out his days at Old Trafford, but in 2014 he finally moved to QPR, ending a 12-year association with United. 

Vidic, meanwhile, spent eight years with the Red Devils before transferring to Inter Milan in the same year. 

It truly was the end of an era and United have never boasted a defensive pair quite like them since.