My Premier League XI of the season would be set up in a 4-4-2 formation, but the simplicity of this belies the intricate skills that many of these players have. I have opted to stick with a number of strong club partnerships in this line-up, with Ferdinand and Vidic, Gerrard and Torres, and Ronaldo and Tevez, which should make for a team with several already proven footballing relationships.

GK: Pepe Reina – I’d have the Liverpool man in goal. Not only has he had a wonderful season, claiming an immense 18 clean sheets for Liverpool, but he has a wealth of experience in Europe. A very old head on very young (in footballing terms, at least) shoulders. 

RB: Bacary Sagna – The Frenchman has been brilliant for Arsenal, and they really missed him when he was out with injury, plus he was voted in the team of the year for the PFA, a much more trustworthy source of footballing opinion than myself.

‘Carlos Tevez has had his critics, with some claiming that he is just Manchester United’s version of Dirk Kuyt’


CB: Rio Ferdinand – The fact that Alex Ferguson recently locked down Rio to what is basically a career-long contract at Old Trafford shows just what an excellent season Ferdinand has had. Maturing all the time, but still very athletic and boasting excellent technique – Ferdinand is one of the classiest English defenders ever.

CB: Nemanja Vidic – The 26-year-old Serbian is the obvious choice to play alongside his team-mate and, like Ferdinand, possesses a wonderful combination of athleticism and nous.

LB: Joleon Lescott – 10 goals in the Premier League from defence, a shot-to-goal ratio that beat EVERYONE else in the league, and a brilliant season, all whilst playing in what Lescott regards to be his wrong position!

RM: Cristiano Ronaldo – The Portuguese winger has had the mother of all seasons for Manchester United, scoring a cartload of goals (only losing out to Ruud van Nistelrooy and Denis Law in the all-time Manchester United season charts) and winning over legions of critics.

CM: Cesc Fabregas  - Although his molten early form cooled somewhat, the young Spaniard had the kind of season you would expect of a 28-year-old international superstar, someone who has had years to soak up all the idiosyncrasies of football. But, instead, this sparkling campaign came from the feet of someone who has only just turned 21.

CM: Steven Gerrard – The Liverpool captain struck up a very productive partnership with Torres which I would look to exploit here in this side.

LM: Joe Cole – Chelsea’s winger is a man who can literally be a thorn in almost anyone’s side and he is very consistent in a position that is normally occupied by players whose skills wildly oscillate from game to game. 

F: Fernando Torres – This young and ridiculously fast Spaniard has been the best striker in the Premier League, smashing through the 20-goal barrier and posing a threat even to the most cantankerously stingy defences.

F: Carlos Tevez – The Argentinian has had his critics, with some claiming that he is just Manchester United’s version of Dirk Kuyt – an essentially pedestrian footballer with a prodigious work rate. I feel that Tevez offers much more that just his athleticism and stamina, and has been a key part of United’s title and Champions League wins this season.

Manager: David Moyes – Crowned the best pound-for-pound manager in the Premier League, Moyes has been able to squeeze out some remarkable performances from supposedly “lesser” players and it would be intriguing to see what he could do with this band of superstars.