eric cantona

Top 10 foreign Man Utd players of all time

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Manchester United’s very foundations are built on the use of youth, typically coming domestically.

Since 1937, 86 years ago, United have named an academy player in every matchday squad.

However, with the globalisation of football and the emergence of huge conglomerates funding the game, an increasing amount of overseas talent has come to the English league’s and subsequently to the red devils.

These players have brought a new identity and performance to English football, being integral to major parts of United’s success.

Here are the top 10 foreign players (outside the British Isles) to play for the club:

10th – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

A man whose legacy is carved into the club’s identity.

The man who scored so many goals off the bench.

The man who won United the treble.

The Norwegian centre forward was the perfect model super sub.

He holds the record for most goals scored off the bench for United with 28 and formally held the record of most Premier League goals off the bench with 17.

Known as the ‘baby faced assassin,’ Solskjaer scored 126 goals and assisted 54 for United in his 11 years at the club.

9th – Robin van Persie

Despite only playing three seasons in Manchester, Van Persie’s first season was enough to win fans over and cement himself as a club legend.

Van Persie single handedly carried United in the 2012/13 season to Premier League glory in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season at the club.

Van Persie scored 26 league goals and assisted 15 in just 38 games.

Speaking to BT sport, now TNT sport, ex United player Rio Ferdinand recalled Ferguson telling the players that the Dutchman was the key to winning the league.

He said: “He’s (Van Persie) going to win you the league if you pass him the ball like this, and we wasn’t.”

Van Persie himself added: “He literally said to Scholesy, Carrick, Shinji (Kagawa) and Wayne, if you cannot find him, you will not play.”

The former Arsenal striker wasn’t able to perform to the same level in the following seasons, but his 2012/13 campaign solidified his place.

8th – Ruud van Nistelrooy

The Dutch striker sits fourth in top goal scorers under Ferguson with 150 goals but is at the very top of the foreign scorers list.

Van Nistelrooy signed for United in a huge £19m deal in 2001, breaking the British transfer record.

The world class striker didn’t disappoint, winning the Premier League golden boot in 2002/03 with 25 goals and the Champions League golden boot twice in 01/02 and 04/05, with 10 goals and eight goals respectively.

Many perceive Van Nistelrooy as the best goal scoring striker United have ever had with his impeccable ability to score anywhere in the box.

7th – David de Gea

The newest entrance into the top 10.

The Spanish goalkeeper signed in 2011 for £17m from Atletico Madrid.

De Gea started off shaky, making several mistakes but soon grew into a phenomenal first choice goalkeeper.

De Gea won four Sir Matt Busby player of the year awards, which is the highest of any player.

His reflexes and ability to make unthinkable saves is what set the Spaniard apart from anyone else in the world.

De Gea fits right in amongst the great United goalkeepers.

6th – Edwin van der Sar

From one goalkeeper to another, Van der Sar was another phenomenal number one for the club.

Signing as a 34-year-old from Fulham in 2005, Van der Sar immediately came in and fixed United’s goalkeeping problems.

Van der Sar had a fantastic presence in which he commanded his box and was integral to United’s success in the late noughties.

His heroics in the 2008 Champions League final penalty shootout to deny Nicolas Anelka and win United just their third European Cup, is something which will never be forgotten.

5th – Jaap Stam

Signed in 1998, Stam was a missing piece in the puzzle, which ultimately saw United win the treble.

His ferocious approach to defending made him a nightmare proposition.

Due to a fallout with Ferguson, Stam lasted only three seasons, but in this time cemented himself as one of the greatest defenders the Premier League has ever seen.

Years later, Ferguson spoke of the regret he felt from selling Stam.

Ferguson said: “When I think of disappointments, obviously Jaap Stam was always a disappointment to me, I made a bad decision there.”

You have to be some player for Ferguson to admit mistake.

4th – Peter Schmeichel

Arguably the finest goalkeeper to ever put on the historic red shirt.

Signed in 1991, leaving just after the treble victory eight years later, Schmeichel was invaluable in United’s nineties domination.

Like Van der Sar, his presence and commanding nature were phenomenal, with a fantastic ability to bark out orders to his defence.

It’s very close between the Dane and Van der Sar, but Schmeichel just edges it due to his leadership and greater control when in between the sticks.

Schmeichel played 398 games for United, keeping 180 clean sheets.

3rd – Nemanja Vidic

The rock at the back.

The Serbian centre half was a no-nonsense defender who wasn’t afraid to put his whole body on the line every single week.

Vidic was partnered with Rio Ferdinand, creating one of the greatest centre back pairings of all time and certainly Premier League history.

He joined in 2006, enjoying major success in the Premier League, winning it five times and the Champions League once.

Vidic is the only defender to win the Premier League player of the season award more than once, with them coming in 2008/09 and 2010/11.

The Serb made 300 appearances for the club, before leaving in 2014.

2nd – Cristiano Ronaldo

This is where it gets controversial.

Many perceive Ronaldo as the greatest player to play for United due to his later achievements; however, in just his years at United, particularly in his first stint, he falls just below Eric Cantona.

Ronaldo signed in 2003 as an unknown scrawny teenager who had a lot to prove.

He did just that.

By the 2006/07 season, Ronaldo was one of the first names on the team sheet and a hugely influential figure in the squad.

The Portuguese’s ability to dribble with the ball, using his pace and power, made him a nightmare to defend.

As he matured, Ronaldo worked on his final product and became a master of this, scoring an abundance of goals.

In the 2007/08 season, Ronaldo scored 31 Premier League goals, only since bettered by Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.

In this season, his goals were pivotal to United’s success, helping them win the Premier League and Champions League.

Ultimately, Ronaldo left in 2009 for Real Madrid, breaking the world record transfer fee, costing £80m.

He joined as a nobody but left as a legend forevermore.

1st – Eric Cantona

Alongside Denis Law, the king of Old Trafford.

Signing from rivals Leeds United, nobody could have foreseen the impact the French centre forward would have.

Cantona revolutionised and transformed the United team, turning them into serial winners.

In his five years at the club, Cantona won the Premier League four times and was suspended (for a certain incident) in the year United didn’t win it.

Many feel that Cantona is the most influential Premier League signing off all time as he joined United with the red devils having not won a league title since 1968, but left with them as the best team in England by a long way.

In the 1993/94 season, Cantona was voted PFA player of the year.

In his 185 games for United, Cantona scored 82 and assisted 62.

Despite racking up impressive returns, statistics don’t do Cantona justice as his elegance on the ball and ability to create magic from nothing, was truly special.

Ronaldo eventually became a better player than Cantona ever was, but whilst at United, Cantona left a legacy and an effect which no one has been able to replicate.