Ireland icon Denis Irwin is one of the best players EVER, claims Reading boss Paul Ince as he hails ex-Man Utd teammate
DENIS IRWIN was one of the best players in the world at his peak.
That is the opinion of Paul Ince, who hailed the Republic of Ireland legend as one of the best defenders the game has ever seen.
The Reading boss shared a dressing room with Irwin for five years at Manchester United and a further two at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It gave him a unique and up-close experience of playing with the Cork-native full-back.
So much so that the ex-England international came to the conclusion that, at his peak, he was one of the best players on the planet.
He told Premier League Odds: " Denis Irwin was one of the best full-backs there's ever been.
"Everyone looks at the goalscorers in teams but beneath that, Denis was one of the best in the world for me."
Both Irwin and Ince signed for Wolves in 2002, when they were plying their trade in the Championship.
At the end of their first season, 2002/03, both men started in the Championship play-off final, in which Wolves beat Sheffield Utd 3-0.
They would be relegated the following summer, but Ince credited their initial promotion to Irwin.
He added: "He very rarely got beat and we both ended up going down to Wolves together. His professionalism and what he gave to the team was vital.
"We ended up getting promoted that year and a lot of that was down to Denis Irwin.
"He never really gets the accolades he deserves but for me, he was one of the greatest ever."
Irwin signed for Manchester United in 1990, and proceeded to be a vital component as the Red Devils absorbed title after title.
In total, he won seven Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, among many others.
The first of those league crowns came in 1992/93, an achievement commemorated when he was part of the team reunion.
Nine of the team came together for a group photo ahead of the 30th anniversary, with Lee Sharpe sharing a picture from the occasion on .
Alongside the picture was the caption: "Today's reunion, celebrating 30 years since we won the 1st Premier League not that I feel old ���� @ManUtd."
The snap showed the retired stars in two rows of chairs.
The back row included (from left to right) Bryan Robson, Clayton Blackmore, Mike Phelan, Gary Pallister, and Sharpe.
And on the front row (from left to right) there was Brian McClair, Mark Hughes, Denis Irwin and Paul Parker.
