The best footballers to have played for both Arsenal and Man Utd

We’re taking a look back at the biggest names to have played for both Arsenal and Man Utd ahead of this weekend’s Premier League showdown.

The two clubs have enjoyed a long rivalry down the years, most notably when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were battling for Premier League supremacy.

That has not prevented plenty of high-profile transfers between the two clubs while others can list the two on their playing CVs as we pick out some of the best.

Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez joined Arsenal from Barcelona in 2014 and was a huge success, being named the club’s player of the season twice and scoring in the FA Cup final wins against Aston Villa (2015) and Chelsea (2017).

He switched to Manchester United in the 2018 January transfer window but failed to reproduce the same form at Old Trafford and only managed five goals in 45 appearances in all competitions before leaving for Inter Milan after 18 months.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Mkhitaryan went the other way as part of the deal which saw Sanchez join United and was also something of a flop. He had become the first Armenian to play in the Premier League after joining United from Borussia Dortmund for £26million in 2016.

The highlight of his time with the Red Devils was his goal in the 2017 Europa League final against Ajax, which United won 2-0, while he scored nine goals in 59 appearances for Arsenal.

Danny Welbeck

The Manchester-born striker progressed through the club’s academy to become a first-team regular after making his debut in 2008. He helped United win the 2009 League Cup final and netted a crucial equaliser at Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2013.

After 142 first-team appearances for United, he joined Arsenal for £16m on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2014. His time with the Gunners was blighted by injuries but he was a starter in the 2017 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea.

Robin van Persie

Van Persie is arguably the most successful of the Premier League stars to have played for both Arsenal and Man Utd. He joined the Gunners from Feyenoord in 2004 and was a huge hit, scoring a stunning volley against Charlton in 2006 and winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2011-12.

After netting 132 goals in eight years in north London, he headed to Old Trafford and again won the Golden Boot in his first season with United as they claimed the title. He scored 58 goals for United before leaving for Fenerbahce.

Mikael Silvestre

Silvestre is best remembered for his nine seasons at United in which the French defender won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup as well as the Champions League in 2008, although he was an unused substitute in the final.

In 2008 he became the first player to leave United for Arsenal since 1974 and the highlight of his two seasons with the Gunners was the run to the 2009 Champions League semi-finals which ended in defeat against United.

Viv Anderson

Prior to Silvestre’s switch, the last player to move between the two clubs was Anderson who had been a two-time European Cup winner at Nottingham Forest before joining Arsenal in 1984.

He played a key role in their League Cup success in 1987 before becoming Ferguson’s first signing at United, who had released Anderson as a schoolboy.

Frank Stapleton

Stapleton was an FA Cup winner with both Arsenal and Manchester United. Ironically, he was turned down by United before joining Arsenal as an apprentice in 1972 and scoring 108 goals in 300 matches, including one in the 1979 FA Cup final as the Gunners beat United 3-2.

The Irish centre-forward joined United two years later and won the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985. His equaliser in the 1983 final against Brighton saw him become the first player to score in the FA Cup final for two different clubs.

George Graham

Graham is best remembered for his success as Gunners manager but he also played for both Arsenal and Man Utd during a distinguished playing career.

He made over 300 appearances for Arsenal and was part of the Double-winning team in the 1970-71 season, having won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup the previous season. The Scot moved to Manchester United in 1972 and spent two seasons there but the second ended in relegation to Division Two.

Best of the rest

Like Graham, Brian Kidd left United after their relegation in 1974 and was top goal scorer for Arsenal in the first of his two seasons with the club but he is best known for his time at United, with his goal helping the Red Devils win the 1968 European Cup final.

Goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer was United’s substitute that night but became more of a first-team regular during his three years at Arsenal, having left to replace Bob Wilson at Highbury.

Andrew Cole was a Champions League and five-time Premier League winner at Manchester United but his career began at Arsenal, although he only made one league appearance before joining Bristol City.

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