Former Manchester United midfielder played with some phenomenal players during his time at Old Trafford. Between 1999 and 2006, the South African bridged two of Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest Red Devils sides.
Fortune joined United shortly after the 1999 treble-winning season, and left after claiming the first of three-straight Premier League titles between 2006 and 2009. Therefore, when asked to pick his greatest team-mate, Fortune doesn't find it an easy question to answer.
"I used to say Paul Scholes or Roy Keane, but when I look back now, it’s impossible to say one person," says Fortune, speaking exclusively as part of FourFourTwo's Players Lounge series – you can order the latest mag here. "Ryan Giggs was unbelievable as a player and a professional, and he’s probably the most decorated United player ever.
"Then you had David Beckham - when I talk to young players now, I speak to them about the work ethic you have to put in. We used to do a bleep test at the beginning of pre-season and Beckham and Dwight Yorke were the only people to finish it - and you had to be super fit to finish the bleep test! Then there was Ruud van Nistelrooy, Yorke, Andy Cole, Solskjaer, then Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney came in and took it to another level."
As a midfielder himself, Fortune was often tasked with filling in for Scholes or Keane if one of them were absent. He feels the partnership between the Englishman and Irishman were crucial to United's success during his time at the club.
"Scholes was a magician, a genius," he says. "While Roy Keane drove the team every single day. We were never allowed to lower our standards in training - we trained like we were fighting relegation. Training was like a match so Saturday afternoons were a little bit easier, because you weren’t going to face Giggs, Beckham or Scholes."
Subscribe to FourFourTwo today and save over a third on standard price.
Restock your kit bag with the best deals for footballers on Amazon right now
ALSO READ
LIST Football Manager 2022: All the FM22 wonderkids you'll need to sign
