Paul McGrath and 6 Best Players to Play for Aston Villa and Manchester United
As Manchester United prepare to travel to Birmingham to face Aston Villa, we look back at Paul McGrath and some of the other magnificent players to have graced both clubs.
This collective would form a very effective six-a-side team, given the balance of forwards, ball-playing defenders and a particularly decent goalkeeper.
McGrath is guaranteed his place, but who rounds out the rest of the list?
Let's take a look at the six best players to have plied their trade for both the Red Devils and the Villans.
Paul McGrath
1 of 6
"Ooh ah Paul McGrath" rang the terrace chants for this magnificent defender. Deemed surplus to requirements by Alex Ferguson in 1989, McGrath made the switch to Aston Villa, where he excelled. This was in spite of Manchester United's attempts to persuade him to retire in '89, per his interview with FourFourTwo magazine in January 2007.
Having won the FA Cup with United, he achieved two second-place finishes in the league with Villa, won the League Cup twice and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1993. It would be more than a decade before another defender picked up the award.
His brilliance was often seen at United, and his departure from the club had more to do with a drink problem so severe that he said he “ran round the pitch trying to hold [his] breath on occasions," per Neil Moxley of the Daily Mail in 2010.
His talent was on display on the global stage when the Republic of Ireland qualified for the World Cup in 1990 and 1994, with his performance against Italy in 1994 entering folklore, per Robert Phillip in the Daily Telegraph in 2006.
He was a defender blessed with a magnificent touch and phenomenal personal courage, evidenced by how many times he played through the pain of a series of knee injuries. McGrath is a player with a case to be considered as a bona fide legend by fans of both clubs, as well as fans of his country.
Colin Gibson
2 of 6
Colin Gibson is a player whose career at Villa outshone his subsequent time at Manchester United. The left-back featured heavily in the Villan's league win in the 1980/81 season.
He also formed part of the Villa team that won the European Cup in 1982, although he was left on the bench for the final. He did feature in their 1982 European Super Cup victory over Barcelona, a result that seems hard to imagine when measured by the respective statures of the two clubs in 2014.
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.
Gibson was a good player rather than a world-beater, but he was an important player for both clubs during his spells with them.
Dion Dublin
3 of 6
Dion Dublin's major contribution to Manchester United was to suffer a potentially career-ending leg break during his time at the club.
Speaking to ESPN Classic (h/t Goal.com), the striker joked:
"It was my Old Trafford debut and it lasted about 60 minutes and my left leg and left ankle sort of gave way on me from a tackle from behind.
I am the reason why Man United have won all those trophies—it's down to me, it really is. I break my leg and then they bring in this has-been called Cantona who just takes the world of football by storm!
"
Dublin's self-effacing good humour contains a grain of truth. His time at United was cut short by that injury, but he proved his quality during his time in the Midlands, first with Coventry City and then during his six-year spell with Villa.
Dublin faced another career-threatening (indeed life-threatening) injury when he sustained a broken neck playing for Villa. He managed to return and continued to contribute, often filling in at centre-back during his latter days at the club.
A classic target man, it is Dublin's consistent scoring rate that earns him a place on this list, despite his lack of impact at Old Trafford.
Or at least his lack of on-the-pitch impact!
Ronny Johnsen
4 of 6
Ronny Johnsen is the first of a triumvirate of players to have featured for both clubs who were integral members of United's 1999 treble-winning side.
The Norwegian bears comparisons with Paul McGrath; they were both stylish defenders who could play in midfield, who were both faced with a significant number of injuries during their careers.
He also has something in common with Dion Dublin, as both were granted special dispensation for a Premier League winners' medal despite not making the required number of appearances—Dublin in 1992/93 and Johnsen in 1999/2000, although Johnsen also won three others.
Johnsen was crucial to United in 1999. He had a brilliant partnership with Jaap Stam, with their skills complementing each other perfectly—Johnsen tending toward covering while Stam acted as a stopper.
Johnsen extended his career with a move to Villa, but he was unable to add further silverware to the medal haul he amassed at United. A phenomenal player in his prime, only injury prevented even more success.
Dwight Yorke
5 of 6
Just as Eric Cantona was a catalyst for United's success when he arrived in November of 1992, so Dwight Yorke galvanised United when he arrived from Villa in 1998.
Forming a devastating partnership with Andy Cole, Yorke was the league's joint-top scorer in his first season at Old Trafford, as United swept all before them at home and abroad.
Yorke had been a huge fan favourite at Villa Park, where he spent almost a decade, and many of them were sad to see him leave for United.
It would be hard to argue that he made a mistake. Though his time at United was relatively brief, his star shone very brightly in the Old Trafford firmament during the club's finest hour.
Peter Schmeichel
6 of 6
Peter Schmeichel spent the penultimate season of his career at Villa Park. It is probably fair to say he was past his peak by then, but what a peak it was.
Following his arrival at United in 1991, he won five league titles, three FA Cups, a League Cup and, of course, the Champions League as part of United's incredible treble.
There were so many standout moments during his United career, the penalty save against Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay and his incredible display against Newcastle United at St James' Park in 1996 being but two examples.
Glenn Moore of The Independent described Schmeichel as "the key player" that day, and it was a game in which the momentum of the title race swung.
Schmeichel was often "the key player," dominating his penalty area, bawling at his defenders and starting numerous counter-attacks with his physics-defying ability to throw the ball out with power and precision.
A brilliant 'keeper, and easily one of the best players to have featured for both United and Villa.
