Five who played for both: Manchester United and Fulham | OneFootball

Manchester United face Fulham in the fifth round of the FA Cup this afternoon.

Andreas Pereira returns to Manchester United in Fulham colours today, but the Brazilian is not the only player to have played for both clubs. Here are five top players who played for both Manchester United and Fulham.

Five who played for both: Manchester United and Fulham

Edwin van der Sar

Manchester United’s search for a replacement for Peter Schmeichel was a turbulent process that lasted six seasons. Schmeichel’s shock exit after the club’s treble success in the late nineties left a void that none of Mark Bosnich, Massimo Taibi, Fabien Barthez, Tim Howard and Roy Carroll could fill.

Sir Alex Ferguson signed veteran shot-stopper Edwin van der Sar from Fulham in 2005, a deal that emerged as some of his best business at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman had won the Champions League at Ajax, before arriving at Fulham after being ousted at Juventus by the world-record signing of Gianluigi Buffon. After four seasons with Fulham, United secured the signing of the 34-year-old.

Despite being in the twilight of his career, Van der Sar was a revelation. He won four Premier League titles and the Champions League among his honours, during six seasons of success at Old Trafford. In 2008/09, he went a world-record 1,311 minutes without conceding in the league.

Andy Cole

Manchester United broke the British transfer record to sign Andy Cole from Newcastle United in 1995. A prolific period in the North East persuaded the Red Devils to spend £7m on the forward.

Cole scored 121 goals in 275 games for Manchester United and was a key part of the club’s success under Sir Alex Ferguson. He formed an iconic understanding with Dwight Yorke, as the Red Devils won a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 1998/99.

Cole won five league titles with the club before a nomadic career post-Old Trafford. Having had a brief loan spell at Fulham in 1991/92, he returned to West London for a permanent second spell 13 years later.

His single season at Craven Cottage saw Cole score 12 goals in 31 Premier League appearances. He joined Manchester City in 2005 with his family keen to relocate back to the North West.

Iconic Duos: Striking synergy perfected, Cole and Yorke

Louis Saha

Louis Saha’s scintillating showings in a Fulham shirt caught the attention of the Premier League’s top teams. The Frenchman fired Fulham to promotion with 32 goals in 2000/01 before impressing as the Cottagers consolidated in the top division.

After scoring 13 league goals across the first half of the 2003/04 season, Manchester United snapped up the striker in a £12.4m January deal. Saha started superbly with seven goals in 12 games to swell his total to 20 for the Premier League campaign.

The arrival of Wayne Rooney that summer threatened his place, but Saha remained an important part of Manchester United’s attacking armoury. He spent five seasons with the club, netting 42 goals in 124 games, and winning two league titles.

Chris Smalling

Fulham unearthed a gem from non-league when signing Chris Smalling from Maidstone United. The centre-back was signed for an initial fee of £10,000 and recouped the Cottagers a 700x profit when moving on to Manchester United just nine first-team appearances later.

Smalling linked up with Manchester United ahead of the 2010/11 season and won the Premier League title in his debut season. Across nine seasons, he made 323 appearances and won eight trophies, in addition to 31 caps for England.

After leaving Old Trafford, Smalling found success in Italy with AS Roma before a move to Al-Fayha FC in the Saudi Pro League.

Dimitar Berbatov

Mavericks are in short supply in the modern game but Dimitar Berbatov fitted the brief.

Manchester United spent £30.75m to sign the Bulgarian from Tottenham Hotspur, after two seasons of goalscoring excellence in North London. He scored 56 goals in 149 games for the Red Devils, with his finest season coming in 2010/11.

Berbatov hit 20 league goals to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot, a return that included a stunning hat-trick against Liverpool and a five-goal performance against Blackburn. However, he failed to win the full trust of Sir Alex Ferguson and was left out of the squad for the Champions League final that season.

Berbatov moved to Fulham in 2012 and hit 15 league goals during a renaissance under ex-Tottenham manager Martin Jol. A fans’ favourite at Craven Cottage, the forward produced some of the most remarkable first touches the Premier League has seen.

Read – Iconic Performances: Brilliant Berbatov downs Liverpool at Old Trafford

See more – Manchester United vs Fulham – Match preview and team news

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