Who are the greatest players in Manchester United’s history? The Athletic gave Andy Mitten the task of compiling his top 25, and we are counting them down this summer, in reverse order. He explains his thought process here.Manchester United captain Martin Buchan was once asked for a quick word by a journalist.“Velocity,” he replied.“Martin Buchan was very dry,” team-mate Sammy McIlroy, who himself would be a contender for inclusion in this list, tells The Athletic. “If someone asked him if he had a comb in the dressing room, he’d say, ‘Yes, thanks’, and then walk out. I was once at The Cliff about to sign autographs. I asked Martin if he had a pen and he replied: ‘Yes, I have, thanks’.”Buchan played 456 times for United between 1971 and 1983, 19th overall in the club’s appearance chart, between Rio Ferdinand and Bryan Robson. He was captain for much of a turbulent 1970s (both on and off the pitch), a decade when a declining United went down, then thrilled but didn’t win league titles.Buchan grew up on an Aberdeen council estate but passed his 11-plus exams and was soon at senior school with the sons of doctors and lawyers. He did well enough at school to go to a top university, but such plans were scuppered when Aberdeen’s manager asked him to sign full-time at 17. Buchan’s father had combined playing part-time for Aberdeen with being a riveter in a shipyard. His brother George also played for Aberdeen.