Five players to represent United and Arsenal
It’s that time of year again, the Emirates FA Cup third round is back and set to kick off as we travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
One half of an unexpected swap deal involved Alexis Sanchez trading north London for Manchester. The Chile winger joined us in the 2018 January transfer window and was well received by all at United with his signature seen as a coup by reporters and fans alike.
The maverick forward managed some big moments, from a pair of assists in a Paul Pobga-inspired comeback in the Manchester derby, to scoring a header against Tottenham in the 2018 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
He also scored the opening goal against his former side in our last FA Cup meeting back in 2019, the only previous tie at the Emirates.
Next on our list is the other half of that swap deal, as Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan departed in the opposite direction.
'Micki' scored some spectacular goals, most notably his scorpion kick in a 3-0 Boxing Day win against Sunderland in 2016, an effort that saw Henrikh win the Premier League Goal of the Month for December.
Mkhitaryan also played a pivotal role in our Europa League triumph over Ajax in 2017, with a goal in a relatively comfortable 2-0 win in Stockholm.
Before Alexis or Mkhitaryan, there was a fresh-faced Danny Welbeck. The striker captivated the Old Trafford crowd as a teenager, with a 30-yard screamer on his debut in 2008 against Stoke City.
The Academy graduate and Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year award-winner would go to score memorable goals at the Etihad and even the Bernabeu during his time at Old Trafford, and helped us land our most recent title in 2012/13.
After a surprise move to the Emirates Stadium, he added a pair of FA Cup winners' medals to his trophy cabinet and is still very much going strong at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The first player to make the switch between M16 and N5, since the dawn of the new league, was France international and serial winner Mikael Silvestre. The defender joined from Internazionale in 1999 and went on to make over 300 appearances for us during his nine-year spell.
During this time, he helped us lift four Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008 as well as an FA Cup in 2004, when Silvestre scored during the run, against Northampton Town.
Silvestre made the switch to the capital in the summer of 2008 and made 43 appearances during his time there.
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Arguably the most notorious transfer between Arsenal and United surrounds Robin van Persie's controversial switch. The lethal frontman famously requested a move away from the Gunners in 2012, after emerging as the star man at the club.
It looked as if van Persie would follow a number of past Gunners in donning the sky blue of Manchester City, until Sir Alex Ferguson managed to propose a deal with long-time adversary Arsene Wenger, eventually one that would satisfy all parties involved.
Van Persie hit the ground running and struck up a formidable partnership with United legend Wayne Rooney, as the pair combined for 46 goals across all competitions, paving the way to a 13th Premier League title win, as his hat-trick against Aston Villa clinched the trophy.
Other players to appear for both clubs include Jimmy Rimmer, Viv Anderson, George Graham, Ian Ure, Andy Cole, David Herd, Brian Kidd and Frank Stapleton.