5 players you didn’t know played for Manchester United

#3 Joshua King

Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Carling Cup

The Norwegian has established himself as a reliable Premier League player, but few know that he began life in England with Manchester United. The youngster was extremely prolific for United’s youth sides before joining Preston North End on loan.

He showed plenty of promise at Preston but was abruptly recalled by his parent club after the sacking of Preston boss Darren Ferguson, the son of Sir Alex. A series of further loan moves to Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers followed before Blackburn secured King’s signature on a permanent basis in 2013.

King’s time at Blackburn was rather lukewarm, with the player securing a switch to newly-promoted Bournemouth in 2015, which is where he truly came into his own as a player.

The 29-year-old scored regularly for Bournemouth in the Premier League, so much so that there was even talk of him rejoining boyhood club Manchester United before his move to Everton this February put an end to that speculation.

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#2 Michael Keane

Chelsea v Manchester United - Capital One Cup Fourth Round

Michael has been extremely solid for Everton and is a full-fledged England international. What many people don’t know is that he was once on Manchester United’s books along with his twin brother Will.

Keane joined United as a 16-year-old, having trained with the club alongside his brother since the age of 11. The youngster excelled with the youth sides and was even part of their famed 2011 FA Youth Cup winning squad, which Keane helped them lift shortly after signing his first professional contract.

Keane continued to grow from strength to strength and was even the recipient of the prestigious Denzil Haroun Player of the Year award in 2012. Keane was loaned out to Leicester and Derby before going on loan to Burnley after performing poorly for United in the 4-0 horror show against MK Dons in August 2014.

The 28-year-old’s move was made permanent in 2015, where he grew from strength to strength, helping his team win the Championship in 2016 while also earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

Keane moved to Everton for a fee of £25 million in 2017, where he established himself as a key player and will most likely be an important individual for England during Euro 2020. Perhaps this was one player Manchester United should have held on to considering their current struggles in the defensive department.

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#1 Peter Beardsley

Peter Beardsley

Peter Beardsley is a Liverpool legend and absolutely adored by the Anfield faithful, who voted him as one of the 100 players who shook the Kop. What they might not know, however, is that he once turned out in the colors of Manchester United.

But the fact will be of little consequence to them considering he helped Liverpool lift 2 First Division titles, 1 FA Cup and 3 Community Shields instead of their rivals. After an extremely prolific season for the Vancouver Whitecaps, Beardsley was signed by Manchester United boss Ron Atkinson in 1982.

Beardsley’s time in Manchester would be largely forgettable, with the Englishman making a solitary appearance for the Red Devils in the League Cup before being shipped back to the Whitecaps after just a year.

His second stint in Canada would be rather brief as boyhood club Newcastle United opted to resign him, which turned out to be a masterstroke. Beardsley began firing on all cylinders on his return to Tyneside.

Prolific stints at Liverpool and Everton followed, with Beardsley viewed as an icon by all three clubs – proving that United’s decision to let him go was extremely foolish.