Crystal Palace and Manchester United face-off in the Premier League this Wednesday night in what will be the 62nd match between the sides, so we take a look at some well-known players over the years who have been both an Eagle and a Red Devil during their careers.
Five Players Who Have Played For Both Manchester United and Crystal Palace
Manchester United and Crystal Palace are not exactly geographical neighbours but that’s not stopped the two sides doing a bit of business over the years in the transfer market. Let’s take a look at some well-known players that have at some point earned their living playing at Selhurst Park and Old Trafford.
Wilfried Zaha
Crystal Palace: Jan 2013 – Feb 2013 and Aug 2014 – Current Day
Man Utd: Jan 2013 – Feb 2015
Crystal Palace legend Wilfried Zaha, is the first famous name to have played for both Palace and United. Yes, Zaha is more-famed for being a Palace player and he still plies his trade at Selhurst Park now, but back in January 2013 the Ivory Coast striker was sold to Manchester United for £15,000,000.
During that flopped spell at United, Zaha made less than a handful of appearances and failed to score a single goal. He was loaned back to Palace and Cardiff during 2013 to 2015, with the Eagles eventually getting Zaha back on the final day of the 2015 January transfer window for a reported £3m, rising to £6m with add-ons.
Zaha has gone onto score 70 goals (from 271 appearances) at his second spell at Crystal Palace, including getting the only goal in Palace’s 1-0 win over United in last season’s league meeting at Selhurst Park.
Zaha is sure to figure in the Premier League match against United this Wednesday night.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Crystal Palace: Dec 2016 – Jun 2019
Man Utd: Jun 2019 – Current Day
Full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka made only 42 appearances for Crystal Palace during the end of 2016 and 2019, but quickly became a target for a lot of bigger clubs after an impressive season during 2018/19 for the Eagles.
It was Manchester United that won the race to sign Wan-Bissaka in the summer transfer window of 2019 for a staggering £50,000,000.
Wan Bissaka continues to play for United and is another player that is sure to be involved in Wednesday’s Premier League matchup between the sides. He’s made 92 appearances for Manchester United and scored 2 goals (correct as 16th Jan 2023).
Jack Butland
Crystal Palace: Oct 2020 – Present
Man Utd: Loan Jan 2023 – Present
The latest Eagle to make the transistion to a Red Devil is goalkeeper Jack Butland, who also has 9 England caps. The 29 year-old stopper was bought by Palace for £900,00 from Derby County back in October 2020, but since his move to SE25 he’s played second fiddle to the Palace number one between the sticks Vicente Guaita.
Butland has managed only 16 first team selections for Palace, with 6 of those appearances in the FA Cup and 9 in the Premier League. However, with Manchester United needing a bit more cover in the number one position behind David de Gea, the Red Devils made a surprise move for Butland in the January 2023 transfer window to take the shot-stopper on loan for the rest of the season.
Fraizer Campbell
Crystal Palace: July 2014 – July 2017
Man Utd: July 2007 – July 2009
Not a player that many Palace and United fans will know played for both sides. Fraizer Campbell started his career at United as a youth academy player back in 2005 and netted 14 goals (from 22 games) for the Man Utd U18 side. After signing a pro contract in 2006 he was rarely used by boss at the time Alex Ferguson – making only 3 subs appearances and scoring one goal which came in a friendly.
Fraizer Campbell joined Palace in July 2014 for £900,000, playing for the Eagles 23 times and scoring 8 goals during his three-year spell at Selhurst Park. He then went onto join Hull and then Huddersfield on free transfers.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Dutch international Timothy Fosu-Mensah began his career at Man Utd back in 2016, where he played 12 times in various competitions, but failed to score for the Red Devils.
He was then loaned out to Crystal Palace in August 2017 and went onto appear for the Eagles 19 times, but again failed to score. He then went onto play for Fulham and is currently at Bayer Leverkusen, who he joined in January 2021. Oh, and he’s still to score a goal as a pro footballer.
Steve Coppell
England midfielder Steve Coppell made a name for himself at Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s – but not as a player each time.
Okay a bit of a cheat here, but Coppell is a name that both sides will have fond memories of. As a player, Coppell was signed by Manchester United (from Tranmere) in 1975 for £60,000 – doubling his wages overnight.
Playing on the right wing for United he went onto play 373 times for the Red Devils and scored 70 goals for them, plus won the FA Cup in 1977.
Coppell then went into football management and had four spells at Crystal Palace.
The first came between 1984-1993, when he guided Palace to the 1990 FA Cup Final (watch below) to face his old club Manchester United. After a thrilling 3-3 draw in the final, where former Arsenal striker Ian Wright came off the bench to score two, the game needed a replay on the following Thursday and is was United that won that 1-0.
Second, third and fourth spells at Selhurst Park for Coppell came between 1995-1996, 1997-1998 and 1999-2000.
Related Football Content
- Football Betting Tips 2023 – Latest Picks & Football Tips
- Football Predictions January 2023
- Football Accumulator Tips 2023 – Latest Acca Betting Tips
- Best Correct Score Tipsters on Telegram & Social Media 2023
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
