9 Players That You Might Have Forgot Played For United
Like any club, Manchester United have had their fair share of players who haven’t worked out for whatever reason, and there’s definitely names that many fans will have no doubt forgotten.
So, here’s our list of 9 players you might not remember playing for United’s first team, in no particular order:
Victor Valdés
Victor Valdés is known as Barcelona’s keeper during a very successful period for the club; He won 21 trophies across 14 years playing for the club.
It’s easy to forget that he spent 2 years with United under Louis Van Gaal, from 2014-2016, as a backup to David De Gea.
He only played twice during his 2-year stay at the club, both in the Premier League. He ultimately fell out with Van Gaal after refusing to play for the reserve side, and he was released after a loan to Standard Liège.
Peter Beardsley
This is probably the most surprising name on the list; Many United fans don’t know that Peter Beardsley actually played a competitive game for the club.
He’s a player that’s most known for his time at Newcastle United and Liverpool, but before he played for those clubs, he played 1 league cup game for Manchester United in the 1982/83 season.
United, who were managed by Ron Atkinson at the time, bought Beardsley from Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps, when he was 21-years-old, but he failed to establish himself and briefly returned to the Vancouver Whitecaps before a move to Newcastle.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Here’s a player who actually played a decent amount of games for United, and yet he’s easily overlooked.
It’s fair to say Morgan Schneiderlin was a flop after his transfer from Southampton in 2015; He was at United for 2 seasons, and during that time he played 47 times under Louis Van Gaal.
He arrived in a time of transition, along with quite a lot of other signings, and he’s one of many from around that time that didn’t work out.
Gerard Piqué
Here’s another player that makes you immediately think of him in a Barcelona shirt; Like Valdés, Gerard Piqué was a big part of their dominant period in the late-2000s/early-2010s, when he won 30 trophies.
However, unlike Valdés, Piqué was a United player before his success with Barca, as a young and unproven defender.
Sir Alex had bought him from Barcelona’s academy in 2004, when he was only 17, and he stayed until 2008. However, during that time he only appeared 23 times for United, so it’s easy to forget.
Giuseppe Rossi
Giuseppe Rossi spent 3 years with United as a young player, but it didn’t work out for him. The Italian forward only made a total of 14 first team appearances before his move to Villarreal.
He went on to have a good spell in La Liga with Villarreal, and a decent period in Serie A, but he wasn’t up to the standard of United, and some might even forget he played for us.
Wilfried Zaha
Wilfred Zaha was Sir Alex’s last signing for United before his retirement, but his 4 appearances for the club came under David Moyes in the 2013/14 season, which he failed to score or assist in.
Most fans will think of Zaha being a success at Crystal Palace, where he spent the majority of his career.
He was contracted to United for 2 seasons, and was loaned out 3 times during that period; He was sold back to Palace ahead of the 2015/26 season, and his time at United can definitely be considered a failure.
Martin Dúbravka
Martin Dúbravka was only on loan for a brief spell at United under Eric Ten Hag in the 2022/23 season, as a backup to De Gea, after losing his starting spot to Nick Pope at Newcastle.
It’s one that’s easy to forget, because his loan was cut short, and he returned to Newcaslte after half a season. However, he did play 2 league cup games in his time with the club.
Ryan Shawcross
Ryan Shawcross basically spent his whole senior career at Stoke City, and it’s the shirt most will picture him in.
However, Shawcross did make 2 senior League Cup appearances for United in the 2006/07 season, after coming through the academy; Most will remember that he was part of our academy, but many forget his games for the first team.
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin’s spell at Man United was unfortunate; Sir Alex Ferguson signed him for £1 million in 1992, but soon after he broke his leg.
Some might argue that he’s more memorable for United fans because of that injury, which led to the signing of Eric Cantona, and we know how that turned out.
By the time he returned, Cantona was firmly established as the first choice, and Dublin only made a total of 16 appearances, before being sold to Coventry City in 1994.