Tottenham play Manchester United on Friday night as the Premier League returns. Here’s five players who have played for both clubs.
5. Alan Brazil
It may now seem impossible to believe that the TalkSport presenter was once a professional athlete, but Brazil was one of Ipswich Town’s best players, during a golden period at the club.
Signed by Spurs in March 1983 for £425,000, Brazil was an instant hit, only to then struggle in the 1983-84 campaign. Tottenham did well to make a profit when they sold Brazil to Manchester United for £625,000, where the Scot also struggled to make an impact.
4. Garth Crooks
Another ex-player now more defined by his media career, Crooks is fondly remembered at Spurs for his contributions in the cup winning sides of 1981 and 82.
By the 1983-84 campaign, Crooks was struggling to get into the Tottenham side and was taken on loan by Manchester United until the end of the season. Crooks scored twice in seven games, before returning to Spurs.
3. Michael Carrick
Carrick became a legendary figure at Manchester United, where he made nearly 500 appearances, won five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008.
He signed for United in 2006 from Spurs for £18.6m, after two successful seasons at White Hart Lane. His subsequent success left Tottenham fans wondering what might have been achieved had they kept hold of the England midfielder.
2. Dimitar Berbatov
Two years later, Manchester United swooped to sign Berbatov from Tottenham. Like Carrick, Berbatov had enjoyed two very successful seasons at Spurs, which prompted Alex Ferguson to bring him to Old Trafford.
Berbatov cost Manchester United £30.75m and it’s arguable as to whether they really saw value for money for such a fee. The Bulgarian only scored ten more goals (56) in four seasons at Old Trafford, than he did at Spurs in two seasons (46 goals).
1. Teddy Sheringham
Sheringham is unique in moving to Manchester United from Spurs, enjoying great success at his new club and then going back to White Hart Lane.
Having become a big fan favourite at Tottenham, after five seasons at the club, United bought him as a replacement for Eric Cantona in 1997. He played a key role in Manchester United winning the treble in 1999, scoring in both the FA Cup final win against Newcastle and in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
His best season for the club came in his final campaign, as Sheringham scored 21 goals in 43 games and was named as the Footballer of the Year in 2001 by both the PFA and FWA at the age of 35. Despite being offered a new contract by United, he opted to return to Spurs on a free transfer.
Sheringham enjoyed two more seasons back as the darling of White Hart Lane and would carry on playing into his forties. Upon retirement he became a professional poker player, touring glamorous venues such as Vegas Palms Casino. Earlier this year he made an appearance on the cult ITV show The Masked Singer.
