In football, you rarely see Manchester United engaging in transfer deals with their arch-rivals. However, throughout their history, the Red Devils have signed and sold players from other top-six rivals such as Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur......READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
While some of these signings have been successful, others have not lived up to expectations, often resulting in hefty price tags and wages.
With the Red Devils recently agreeing to a £60m deal with Chelsea for Mason Mount, here are nine other notable players that Manchester United have signed from big six rivals:
9. Freddie Veseli – Manchester City
In 2012, United signed Veseli from their cross-town rivals, Manchester City. Despite the rarity of this transfer, Veseli failed to make a single appearance for the first team and eventually left the club in 2014.
8. Tony Coton – Manchester City
Coton, a goalkeeper, made a controversial switch from Manchester City to United in 1996. Despite his previous success at City, Coton did not make a single appearance for United and only lasted six months. He later returned to Old Trafford in 2020 to become the club’s, Chief Goalkeeping Scout.
7. Dimitar Berbatov – Tottenham
Berbatov joined United in 2008 and enjoyed a decent four-year spell at the club. He scored 56 goals in 149 appearances, including winning the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2010/11 season. However, he was bizarrely left out of the 2011 Champions League finals squad.
6. Michael Carrick – Tottenham
Carrick’s signing in 2006 was crucial to United’s resurgence after a three-year title drought. His presence in midfield helped the team secure three consecutive league titles and the Champions League trophy in 2008. Carrick made 464 appearances and won five Premier League titles with United.
5. Teddy Sheringham – Tottenham
United signed Sheringham from Tottenham in 1997. While he scored some important goals, he is most remembered for his equalizer and assists in the dying seconds of the game that led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s iconic winner in the 1999 Champions League final.
4. Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal
Sanchez joined United from Arsenal in 2018 in a deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, his time at United was marked by underwhelming performances, managing just five goals in 45 appearances. Sanchez is often regarded as one of United’s worst-ever signings.
3. Nemanja Matic – Chelsea
United paid £40 million to Chelsea in 2017 to acquire the services of Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic. While he had a phenomenal debut season, his form declined in subsequent campaigns, indicating that he was bought a few years too late.
2. Juan Mata – Chelsea
United signed Mata from Chelsea in January 2014 for £37.1 million. Although he couldn’t replicate his Chelsea form, Mata made significant contributions while at United, scoring 51 goals and providing 47 assists in 285 appearances.
1. Robin van Persie – Arsenal
Van Persie’s signing from Arsenal in 2012 proved to be one of United’s best from a top-six rival. He played a vital role in helping United win the Premier League title in the 2012/13 season, scoring 26 goals and securing the title for the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Van Persie struggled after Ferguson’s departure but remains a valued acquisition.
