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Founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club, the legendary club was renamed as Manchester United in 1902. Regarded as one of the most successful clubs in European football, United have won 20 League titles, 12 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, 3 UEFA Champions Leagues and many more.
With approximately 750 million followers worldwide, Manchester United is the most followed club in the world and a dream destination for many footballers. Some of the most talented players like Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes have played for the English giants. However, some players were fortunate to have represented the Red Devils.
On that note, let's look at five players who were lucky enough to play for the Manchester club.
5. Adnan Januzaj
It raised many eyebrows when an 18-year-old signed a £30,000 a week contract with the Old Trafford team, few days after making his first appearance for the club. His career with the iconic club started on a high as Januzaj struck twice on his full debut to rescue Manchester United from a goal down to win a 2-1 against Sunderland.
He was rated as one of the most talented youngsters in Europe and appeared to have the football world at his feet. He was regarded as the future of Manchester United and was destined for greatness at Old Trafford.
However, his career fell through after a superb debut season, and four years later, he was sold to Real Sociedad in a £9.8m deal. He made 63 appearances for Manchester United, scoring five goals. He was never able to regain confidence and went out on a series of loans, without being successful.
Many felt he was exposed too early to money and fame and that hindered his development as a player. Eventually, he left United in 2017.
4. Gabriel Obertan
Obertan moved to Manchester United in a £3million deal from Bordeaux during the summer of 2009. The winger was brought to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, but he failed miserably during his two-year stay at Old Trafford.
He was never a regular at Bordeaux, and it was one of Sir Alex Ferguson gambles that just did not pay off. He made 28 appearances for Manchester United, scoring once. He was never able to match the pace of Premier League football and was eventually sold to Newcastle United in 2011.
The fact that he moved four clubs after the Old Trafford exit shows how lucky he was to play for Manchester United. He scored only 14 times in more than 200 club games. The 31-year-old is currently playing for Turkish club BB Erzurumspor.
3. Juan Sebastian Veron
Signed from Lazio in 2001, for a whopping fee of £24.3 million, the most expensive transfer in English football at that time, Veron lasted only two years at Old Trafford.
A lot of pressure was put on him because of his price tag, but he never lived up to the expectations. He could not adapt to the demands of the English game and struggled for consistency. He made 42 Premier League appearances for Manchester United and scored six goals.
Ferguson was happy to take the cut-price deal offered by Chelsea as Veron left Old Trafford after two frustrating years.
His career never took off at Chelsea, and he was sent on loan on multiple occasions. He left Chelsea in 2007, making just seven appearances for the London club. He finally returned to Argentina after making his Chelsea exit.
Veron is regarded by many as one of the costliest mistakes made by Sir Alex Ferguson in his illustrious career.
2. Anderson
The Brazilian international moved to Old Trafford in a €30 million deal from FC Porto, during the summer of 2007. He made 38 appearances for the Red Devils during his first season and was given the European football's Golden Boy Award in 2008.
Known for his vision and strength, Andreson played the role of a typical box-to-box midfielder at Old Trafford. He played 181 games for Manchester United and scored nine goals. He never took his game to the next level, and his work rate let him down on multiple occasions.
Anderson could not cement his place in United's midfield and finally moved to the Brazilian side Internacional in 2015. Although he had his moments during the seven and a half year stay at Old Trafford, Anderson's United career will always be remembered as a failure.
1. Bebe
Out of nowhere, the Red Devils paid £7.4 million for a striker whom Sir Alex Ferguson had never seen play. The 20-year-old Portuguese, from the Primeira Liga side Vitoria de Guimaraes, moved to United in 2010.
He was on the books of Manchester United for four long years, making seven appearances and scoring just two times. He was sent out on a series of loans – none of which helped him to reach the level expected at United. He struggled for consistency in front of the goal and never looked like a Manchester United player.
Bebe moved to Benfica in 2014, but his story remained the same. He was sent out on a series of unsuccessful loans, before finally making an exit. He is currently playing for the Spanish side Rayo Vallecano.
Ferguson once revealed, "Bebe is the first signing I have ever made without even seeing the player on television". He also mentioned, "You've got to trust your staff at times, and our scout in Portugal was adamant we must do something quickly".
