10 Players Who Played For Both Aston Villa And Manchester United
6. Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin joined Manchester United from Cambridge United in 1992. However, unfortunately, his time at United was cut short by a broken leg that he suffered during a match at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace. Although he had recovered by 1994, the presence of Eric Cantona and Mark Hughes in the United squad meant that his chances would be limited.
But he proved his quality during his time in the Midlands, first with Coventry City and then during his six-year spell with Villa. In 1999 he suffered a serious broken neck and unsurprisingly never really recovered.
Dublin scored 59 goals in 186 appearances during his time at Villa Park. It was a good inning but sadly for Dublin and Villa alike, one that could have been superb.
5. Ashley Young
Young spent four years with Villa after joining from Watford in 2007 and was a pivotal part of then-manager Martin O’Neill’s side. Villa pushed for Champions League qualification in the 2009-10 season, with Young, along with James Milner, starring, although he would eventually go on to join Manchester United in 2011.
He won five trophies at Old Trafford, including the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup, before departing for Inter in 2020. The Englishman left Inter after winning the Serie A title in 2021 and headed back to the Premier League for a second stint with Villa.
4. Colin Gibson
Colin Gibson is a player whose career at Villa outshone his subsequent time at Manchester United. At Villa, Colin played in the 1978 FA Youth Cup Final, before going on to win the old First Division title and the Charity Shield in 1981. He also won the European Cup and the European Super Cup in 1982.
Following this success, Colin was transferred to Ron Atkinson’s Manchester United for £275,000 in November 1985. His time at United was devoid of silverware, but he did play 29 times for Alex Ferguson’s side as they finished runners-up in the league in 1987/88.