Leeds United return to action with a pre-season trip to Norway to face Manchester United.
Ahead of the fixture, we take a look at the players who have featured for both sides.
GK: Paul Rachubka
In between the sticks is Paul Rachubka, the ‘keeper began his career in Manchester United’s academy and made one league appearance for the Red Devils in March 2001 against Leicester City. He kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win at Old Trafford. Rachubka then spent the majority of his career as a journeyman, signing for 18 different clubs throughout his career. He joined Leeds United in June 2011 under Simon Grayson who he had previously played under at Blackpool. Loan spells with Tranmere Rovers, Leyton Orient and Accrington Stanley would follow before his release in 2013.
DEF: Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand made the move up north to Leeds from West Ham United in November 2000 and spent two seasons with the Whites. He played a key role in reaching the 2000/01 Champions League semi-final and after playing 73 times for Leeds, Ferdinand signed for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man United side in the summer of 2002. He would go on to become a legend at Old Trafford and spend the next 12 years of his career before retiring at Queens Park Rangers in 2015. He featured 455 times for the Red Devils in all competitions and scored eight goals.
DEF: Gordon McQueen
Part of the Leeds side who won the 1973/74 First Division, Gordon McQueen began his career in his native Scotland with St Mirren. The defender made the move to Yorkshire when a £30,000 bid from Leeds United was accepted by the Scottish club in 1972. He would spend six seasons with the Whites before joining the Red Devils in 1978 where he would claim his first FA Cup winner’s medal in 1983 when Manchester United defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 in the final.
DEF: Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson made 10 Premier League appearances and featured once in the Champions League for Manchester United during the 2015/16 campaign. After a loan spell with Wolves, he would then sign for Leeds United ahead of the 2017/18 season and play four times for the Whites - four EFL Cup appearances and one league appearance. He returned to his parent club in January 2018.
MID: Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles began his career in his native Republic of Ireland with Stella Maris FC before being snapped up by Manchester United at the age of 16. Giles won the 1963 FA Cup with the Red Devils and featured in 115 games, scoring 13 times. He completed a transfer to the Whites ahead of the 1963/64 season when Leeds were in the Second Division. The Irishman would go on to feature in 12 seasons for the Whites, winning promotion to the First Division in his debut season and subsequently winning the First Division twice, the 1968 League Cup, the 1969 Charity Shield and the FA Cup in 1972.
MID: Alan Smith
Leeds-born Alan Smith came through the ranks at Leeds United and scored on his first-team debut at Anfield against Liverpool aged 18. The youngster featured prominently for the club during the early years of his footballing career and made 228 appearances scoring 56 times for the Whites. Following Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League in 2004, Smith signed for Manchester United where he would play 93 times under Sir Alex Ferguson and score 12 goals.
MID: Eric Cantona
Capable of playing as a centre-forward, attacking midfielder and as a central midfielder is the versatile Eric Cantona. After spending the beginning of his career in France with five different clubs, the Frenchman landed in England to join Leeds United on loan from Nimes Olympique, Cantona joined Howard Wilkinson’s men in January 1992 and subsequently helped Leeds on their way to the First Division title. After 35 appearances and 14 goals in all competitions, he would sign for Sir Alex Ferguson’s United side in the 1992/93 season and become an icon at the club. After featuring 185 times and netting 82 goals in five years, Cantona retired from football at the age of 30.
MID: Gordon Strachan
After signing with Dundee FC at the age of 14, Strachan would spend a large portion of his professional career in Scotland with both Dundee and Aberdeen. In the summer of 1984, Manchester United signed a 27-year-old Strachan and become a part of the side who won the 1985 FA Cup. After four and a half seasons, 202 appearances and 38 goals, the Scotsman dropped into the Second Division to play for Leeds United. He played in every league game as the Whites cruised to promotion and the league title in 1990. Strachan finished his Leeds career with 235 appearances and 44 goals.
ATT: Dan James
Welshman Dan James joined Manchester United from Swansea City in 2019 and quickly established himself as a regular in his debut season, making 46 appearances in all competitions. He made the move to Leeds in August 2021 where he would net four times in his first season with the Whites and played 35 times before joining Fulham on loan the following season.
ATT: Joe Jordan
Joe Jordan was snapped up by Leeds United from Morton in 1970 and became a vital part in an iconic Don Revie side. Jordan formed part of the “Scottish mafia” at Leeds alongside fellow Scots; David Harvey, Gordon McQueen, Billy Bremner, Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer. He left the club for Manchester United after making 223 appearances and scoring 47 times for the Whites. Jordan would stay at the Red Devils for three and a half seasons before departing for Italy and signing for AC Milan.
ATT: Arthur Graham
The fourth and final Scotsman in this line-up is Arthur Graham. The forward spent the late 70s through to the early 80s with Leeds United after joining from Aberdeen for a fee of £125,000 at the start of the 1977/78 season. After Leeds’ relegation to the Second Division in 1982, he would spend one more season in Yorkshire before making the move to Lancashire and joining the Red Devils under Ron Atkinson. He netted 47 times in 260 games for Leeds and featured 51 times and scored seven goals for Manchester United.
