5 Americans who had successful stints in the Premier League

#5: Claudio Reyna

Claudio Reyna showed flashes of great skill for Manchester City

While he didn’t spend that long in the Premier League, just under 6 seasons in the end, many of which were curtailed by unlucky injuries, former USA national team captain Claudio Reyna, who represented his country in 3 World Cup tournaments, made a strong impact during his time with both Sunderland and Manchester City and was always popular with the fans.

After spending two seasons in Scotland with Rangers, where he made 58 league appearances and scored 10 goals along the way, Reyna moved to Sunderland in December 2001 for just over £2m.

The remainder of the season saw him appear in 17 league games for the Black Cats, scoring 3 goals as the side narrowly avoided relegation.

October 2002 saw him rupture his ACL, sidelining him for the rest of 2002/03, and from there he moved to Manchester City for a fee of £2.5m.

He played 31 games for City in his first season there and although his next two and a half seasons were damaged by injuries, he still managed 87 appearances for the Citizens and became a popular player with the fans.

Had Reyna not suffered so many serious injuries, he could well have become the best US import to the Premier League point blank, as the flashes of skill he did show during his time at Sunderland and City, suggested he had massive potential.

As it was, he was still a success and, is largely recognized as one of the best US players of all time.