United are feeling the loss of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, who both left Old Trafford in the summer

Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta have been key to Manchester City winning two titles in three seasons

Watching David Silva's mesmerising display last weekend got me thinking: where does the Manchester City winger stand among the great foreign players who have graced our game?

We have been blessed since the inception of the Barclays Premier League to see a number of players arrive here and produce performances that have ensured their names will stand the test of time, but could you make a team out of them?

So, as it is international week, I've decided to do something different and name what I consider to be the best foreign XI of the modern era. It hasn't been easy and some big reputations have had to miss the cut. See whether you agree with this...

Sportsmail columnist Jamie Carragher (left) came up against many of the Premier League's best foreign players, including Chelsea's Didier Drogba (pictured wrestling for possession at Anfield in November 2010)

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel

When people talk about players who made United so successful, he would be competing for one of the top slots. His influence in those initial title triumphs was just as big as Eric Cantona's.

Even towards the end of his career, when he was playing for Manchester City, he was making extraordinary saves and one performance at Anfield in May 2003 lives in my memory.

Former Denmark international Peter Schmeichel, pictured making a save for Manchester United against Tottenham, enjoyed a successful eight-year spell with Manchester United

Schmeichel also went on to play for Premier League sides Aston Villa and Manchester City

Right-back: Pablo Zabaleta

Admired throughout the League, he is a top player and what I like most about him is that he just gets on with his job without any fuss, putting the team first. Covers miles going up and down the pitch and has the honours his quality deserves.

He only cost £6million and could end up being regarded as one of City's greatest signings.

Argentine defender Pablo Zabaleta (left), pictured sliding to block a shot from Aston Villa's Kieran Richardson, has been instrumental in Manchester City's rise to the top from the right-hand side of the back four

Zabaleta, who cost a bargain £6million from Espanyol in 2008, could become one of City's greatest players

Centre-half: Vincent Kompany

The biggest compliment I can pay the Belgian is that if he maintains his standards for the next four or five years — and City are successful at home and abroad — he could outstrip John Terry as the Premier League's greatest defender.

He has the elegance of Rio Ferdinand and the steel of Nemanja Vidic. Speaking of him…

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany lifts the 2013-14 Premier League trophy after another fine season

Kompany could be regarded as the Premier League's best-ever defender if he continues his form for City

Centre-half: Nemanja Vidic

My type of defender. Liverpool tried to buy him in January 2006 but our loss was United's gain. I'd have loved to have played alongside him and I'm sure we could have formed a solid partnership.

He loves defending and putting his head in where it hurts. His arrival took Ferdinand's performances up another level. They became the best defensive pairing in Europe.

Nemanja Vidic waves goodbye to the Old Trafford faithful after calling time on his Manchester United career

Carragher admits he would have loved to have played alongside Vidic in the centre of defence

Left-back: Patrice Evra

When he was at his peak, all you could do was toss a coin to decide whether it was him or Ashley Cole who you selected for the PFA team of the year.

A tough, tenacious defender who also scored a number of vital goals. He wasn't the tallest but always provided a threat at set pieces.

Patrice Evra, pictured celebrating a goal against Newcastle in 2012, was a big presence at Manchester United

The Frenchman ended his time at Old Trafford with a summer move to Italian giants Juventus

Right-midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo

What more can you say about the man who is currently the best player in the world? You could see he was going to reach that level with his pace and power.

For some reason, he never excelled against Liverpool — he only scored two goals — but he was the reason Manchester United wrestled the initiative back off Chelsea and became England's dominant team.

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, pictured shooting against Manchester City in 2009, was sold to Real Madrid for £80million after becoming one of the world's best players during his time in the Premier League

Ronaldo helped United overcome Chelsea's dominance under Jose Mourinho and get back to the top

Centre-midfield: Patrick Vieira

A monster, his partnership with Emmanuel Petit was as good as anything we have seen. His performance against Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup final stands out. He was magnificent and didn't deserve to be on the losing side.

In the dressing room afterwards, everyone kept saying: 'how good was Vieira?' Steven Gerrard still talks about that game as Vieira made him realise he had to climb a few more levels to reach the top. It says everything that clubs, when they sign young midfielders, hope they turn into 'the next Vieira'.

Frenchman Patrick Vieira (centre), pictured in action against Liverpool's Emile Heskey (left) and El-Hadji Diouf at Highbury in 2004, was the driving force in Arsenal's midfield for a number of years

Vieira inspired Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard to raise his game after his display in the 2001 FA Cup final

Centre-midfield: Yaya Toure

His stamp is all over Manchester City's recent trophy-winning exploits and he has always come up with a goal when it matters, be it in a decisive Premier League match, the FA Cup final or the League Cup final.

A powerhouse but blessed with great skill. Impossible to contain when he builds up a head of steam.

Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure, pictured in action against Aston Villa in the Midlands last weekend, has helped his club to two Premier League titles in the last three seasons

Toure has proved a huge success at the Etihad since his £25million move from Barcelona in 2010

Left-midfield: David Silva

I have to include him, as he is a joy to watch. His form has been so good that City fans are debating whether he can become the club's greatest-ever player.

Marc Overmars, David Ginola, Robert Pires or even Eden Hazard could have filled this role but Silva is so easy on the eye. Could score more goals but makes up for that with his assists and the way he controls a game.

Spaniard David Silva shone as champions Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-0 away from home last Saturday

Silva is the main creative force in City's midfield, often laying on chances for Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko

Striker: Thierry Henry

I've used this analogy before and I make no apology for using it again. When he hit top gear and ran past you, it was like trying to chase after someone on a motorbike.

When Arsenal were 'The Invincibles' in the period between 2003-2004, Henry rivalled Ronaldinho as the best in the world. A great goal-scorer, not to mention a scorer of great goals, he is the finest player I have seen in the Premier League. His game didn't have a weakness. Now for the hard bit...

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry celebrates a vital equaliser against rivals Tottenham at Highbury in April 2006

Arsene Wenger helped transform Henry from a wide player to one of the deadliest strikers in the world

Striker: Didier Drogba

There were no shortage of contenders for this role, ranging from Eric Cantona, Gianfranco Zola and Dennis Bergkamp to Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero. But even though they were all better players, I kept going back to Drogba because he did what all strikers should do and that is score in the biggest games.

He scored three winners in the FA Cup final, got the crucial goals in two League Cup finals and who could forget what he did in Munich in the Champions League final? At his best, he was unplayable. So there you have it!

Chelsea's Didier Drogba (left), pictured scoring against Manchester United away at Old Trafford in 2010, had a tendency to find the back of the net in the biggest games for various managers at Stamford Bridge