Arsenal take on Manchester United at Old Trafford this afternoon with both teams in fine form heading into the huge clash. Arsenal can extend their lead at the top of the Premier League with a win over Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United this afternoon....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The Gunners have won their opening five fixtures and now face the biggest test of the season so far with a trip to Old Trafford. Manchester United and Arsenal are two of the biggest and most successful clubs of the Premier League era. But in the past 30 years, only five players have turned out for both of the two giants.
We’re just looking at those from the modern Premier League era, so legendary names like Frank Stapleton and Viv Anderson miss out.
5 players to play for Arsenal & Man Utd in the Premier League era:
Mikael Silvestre
Silvestre began his career at Rennes in 1996, before moving to Italian club Inter Milan in 1998. He joined Manchester United in 1999, where he won five Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in his final season at the club in 2008. He then joined Arsenal, followed by a move to German side Werder Bremen two years later.
Robin van Persie
After five years with Feyenoord,Van Persie fell out with manager Bert van Marwijk, and he joined English club Arsenal in 2004 as a long-term replacement for compatriot Dennis Bergkamp. Van Persie was converted to a striker by manager Arsene Wenger and went on to be a consistent goalscorer for Arsenal.
He scored a club record of 35 goals in 2011 and was club captain for the 2011–12 season, prior to joining rivals Manchester United in July 2012. In his first season, he won the Premier League and his second consecutive Premier League Golden Boot.
Danny Welbeck
Welbeck made his way through the youth teams at Manchester United before making his senior debut in 2008 and scoring in the process. He was with United when they won the 2008–09 League Cup and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup before being sent on loan spells with Preston North End and Sunderland.
From the 2011–12 season, Welbeck was a regular figure in the Manchester United first team. He was transferred to Arsenal in September 2014 for a £16 million fee.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined Manchester United for £30 million (€34.3 million), becoming the first Armenian to play in the Premier League. He won the FA Community Shield, and scored the winner to win the UEFA Europa League title.
Mkhitaryan’s subsequent lukewarm form led him to sign for Arsenal in 2018, and then to Serie A club Roma on an initial loan. He signed permanently in 2020.
Alexis Sanchez
In a controversial move, Alexis Sanchez joined Manchester United in January 2018 in a swap deal that saw Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan join the Gunners. In total, Sanchez scored 80 times for Arsenal in 166 appearances including two hat-tricks.
