Ahead of a highly awaited fixture between two top teams of English Premier League, we take a look at players who played for both these sides. While a large number of players went to the Merseyside after trying their luck in Manchester, a minority of them went the other way round.
Here are 5 Players who played for both Everton and Manchester United.
1. Wayne Rooney:
Needless to say, Wayne Rooney is the best transfer that has happened between both these clubs till date. Being a boyhood Everton fan, the English striker started his career at the Merseyside. He made his debut for the senior Everton side in 2002 assisting the first goal of his senior career. From then till now, there is no stopping Wayne Rooney to achieve eternal greatness.
Unluckily for all parties, the departure of Wayne Rooney from Everton left a sour taste in the mouth of Everton faithful. Just days after committing his future to Everton by wearing a shirt captioning “Blue Till I Die”, the then 19-year old submitted a transfer request prompting a move to the Old Trafford.
However, for those who were questioning his logic behind going for money, Wayne Rooney silenced his doubters in his first Season at the Old Trafford. While he made 29-appearances in the first season – a rarity for a 19-year old, Rooney bagged home 11 goals.
Thus, if anyone takes a look at the career of the all-time highest goal-scorer for England, Wayne Rooney made a brilliant decision under pressure to join the Red Devils.
2. Tim Howard
For a player who has been saving the goal for Everton for nearly a decade now, only a small amount of Premier League fanbase is aware of the fact that Tim Howard was a find of Sir Alex Ferguson.
While Manchester United had a World Class goalkeeper at the helm in the 90’s in the shape of Peter Schmeichel, the departure of the Dan left a gaping hole in the heart of Manchester United defense. Sir Alex tried the likes of Fabien Barthez but to no avail.
Courtesy of an excellent scouting network, Manchester United lured Tim Howard to the Old Trafford in 2003. Despite his game that was brilliant in the start, Howard stuttered to fulfill the demands of his role and soon was shipped out.
Thus, following the arrival of Edwin Van Der Sar at Manchester United, Tim Howard was loaned out to Everton in 2006 what became a permanent transfer in the long run.
3. Phil Neville:
The younger of the two Neville brothers at Manchester United, Phil collected great success at Manchester United during his decade-long stay at the club. Like his brother Gary, Phil also came through the youth ranks of the club before getting a permanent position in the Manchester United defense.
Like most of the players who were chosen to represent Manchester United in the last two decades, Phil Neville also enjoyed great success at the Old Trafford. He was never destined to achieve greatness like his brother, however, what Phil did was enough for Sir Alex to make him a permanent part of his starting 11.
He joined Everton in the summer of 2005 – 10 years after playing for Red Devils and hung up his boots in 2013.
4. Marouane Fellaini:
If there is one word that could describe his first Season at Old Trafford, scapegoat would be a perfect choice. Being the successor of Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, David Moyes made a comedy of errors, however judging by the performance of Fellaini after the sacking of Moyes, the signing of the big Belgian is not one of them.
Contrary to his arrival at Manchester United that was met with skepticism by the Manchester United folklore, the arrival of Fellaini at Everton was highly celebrated. He was the club record signing at that time when Everton paid 15-Million Pounds for him to Standard-Liege in 2008.
After collecting praise from all corners of the League, Fellaini took a bold step in his career as he decided to ditch Everton in favor of the Red Devils. As you might concur watching his performances, he doesn’t look like a player who deserved a 27-Million price tag.
However, since the arrival of Louis Van Gaal last season, Fellaini has shown his brilliance in patches but looking at the options that are available to the Dutch manager at Manchester United, the Belgian might be looking for a new club very soon.
5. Louis Saha
For a player who showed enough potential, the carrier of Louis Saha at Manchester United was marred by injuries. His four-year spell at the club was far from brilliant – still he managed to score 42-times in 124 appearances for the Red Devils.
After spending four years at the Old Trafford, Saha was eventually sold to Everton for an undisclosed fee. As his career at the Old Trafford, he managed a decent tally of goals at the Goodison Park – scoring 35 times in 115 appearances.
