As many as 5 players Manchester United bought from rival clubs will be discussed in this article. Indeed, many star players dream of playing at the club based at Old Trafford.
Manchester United was very dominant in English football from the early 1990s to 2013. Everyone would agree that Manchester United was a great force in England, even in Europe under Sir Alex Ferguson.
With a trophy guaranteed every year, a star player would love to join Manchester United. In fact, some players bought the results of piracy from rivals.
So, who are the players Manchester United bought from rival clubs? Here’s the list:
5. Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez was transferred as part of a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan. At that time, Alexis Sanchez was still in Arsenal uniform.
Manchester City had teased Alexis Sanchez, but an exorbitant salary offer from Manchester United made the Chilean player agree to a move. However, his career was not too smooth with Manchester United.
4. Nemanja Matic
Namanja Matic was signed by Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United from Chelsea in the summer of 2017. The Serbian made 188 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and providing 11 assists.
He left the club this summer as his contract expired. Nemanja Matic has failed to win a single trophy during his five seasons at Manchester United.
3. Juan Mata
Juan Mata was transferred from Chelsea in the summer of 2014. He was “dumped” by Jose Mourinho, who was still coaching Chelsea at that time. Juan Mata made 285 appearances for the club, scoring 51 goals and providing 47 assists.
He managed to win an FA Cup, an English League Cup and a Europa League before leaving this summer as his contract expired.
2. Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov signed from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2008. The Bulgarian made 148 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 56 goals and contributing 26 assists.
He managed to win two Premier League titles, one League Cup and one Club World Cup before leaving the club in January 2014. Although his skills are not too outstanding, he is one of Manchester United’s goal-hungry strikers.
1. Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a striker figure that Manchester United fans may really miss. The story of his move in the summer of 2012 from Arsenal made world football a commotion. He crossed over to a rival, after Arsenal failed to find common ground about the value of a new contract.
At that time, Sir Alex Ferguson was also moving for his signature. The Dutch striker made 105 appearances for the club, scoring 58 goals and providing 21 assists. He won the English Premier League title in his first season at Manchester United, a title he had never previously won with Arsenal.
