Discover all 18 players who played for both Manchester United and Fulham, led by George Best, Edwin van der Sar, Louis Saha, Dimitar Berbatov and Chris Smalling.
Manchester United and Fulham have shared more players than most supporters would expect. Some used Craven Cottage as a stepping stone towards Old Trafford, while others moved to west London after their opportunities at Manchester United had begun to disappear.
The complete list stretches from Charlie Mitten in the 1950s to more recent names such as Andreas Pereira and Daniel James. It even includes several players who appeared only once or twice for one of the clubs.
In total, 18 players have made at least one competitive first-team appearance for both Manchester United and Fulham. Here are the eight most notable, followed by the remaining names.
Statistics include appearances and goals across all official senior competitions.
1. George Best
- Manchester United: 1963–1974 (Apps: 470 | Goals: 179)
- Fulham: 1976–1978 (Apps: 47 | Goals: 10)
George Best is the biggest name on the list, although Manchester United and Fulham saw him at very different stages of his career.
At Old Trafford, Best became one of football’s first global superstars. His close control, acceleration and ability to score from almost anywhere made him one of the most entertaining players of his generation.
He helped Manchester United win two league titles and the 1968 European Cup. Best also scored in the final against Benfica before being named European Footballer of the Year later that year.
By the time he arrived at Fulham in 1976, his peak years were behind him. The club were playing in the Second Division, but the presence of Best, Rodney Marsh and former England captain Bobby Moore turned Craven Cottage into one of the most entertaining grounds in the country.
Best produced flashes of his old brilliance and attracted large crowds wherever Fulham played. One match against Hereford United became famous for Best and Marsh attempting to tackle each other after spending much of the afternoon toying with their opponents.
His Fulham spell was brief, but it remains one of the most colourful chapters in the club’s history.
2. Edwin van der Sar
- Fulham: 2001–2005 (Apps: 154 | Goals: 0)
- Manchester United: 2005–2011 (Apps: 266 | Goals: 0)
Edwin van der Sar remains one of Fulham’s most remarkable signings.
The Dutch goalkeeper had already won the Champions League with Ajax and played for Juventus when he joined the newly promoted London club in 2001. Rather than treating Fulham as a short stop, he remained at Craven Cottage for four seasons and made 154 appearances.
Van der Sar brought experience and composure to a side trying to establish itself in the Premier League. His performances eventually persuaded Manchester United to sign him in 2005.
At 34, he initially appeared to be another short-term solution to the club’s long search for a successor to Peter Schmeichel. Instead, Van der Sar remained United’s first-choice goalkeeper for six seasons.
He won four Premier League titles and saved Nicolas Anelka’s decisive penalty in the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea. During the following season, he went 1,311 minutes without conceding in the league, setting an English top-flight record.
Fulham helped Van der Sar rebuild his reputation. Manchester United gave him the chance to finish his career at the highest level.
3. Andy Cole
- Manchester United: 1995–2001 (Apps: 275 | Goals: 121)
- Fulham: 2004–2005 (Apps: 35 | Goals: 13)
Andy Cole’s transfer from Newcastle United to Manchester United in January 1995 was one of the biggest moves of the early Premier League era.
After taking time to settle, Cole became a central figure in Sir Alex Ferguson’s great side of the late 1990s. His partnership with Dwight Yorke was especially important during the 1998/99 campaign, when Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Cole scored 121 goals in 275 appearances for the club. He also collected five Premier League titles before leaving Old Trafford for Blackburn Rovers in December 2001.
The striker joined Fulham three years later. Although he was approaching the end of his career, Cole showed that his goalscoring instincts remained intact.
He scored 13 times in 35 appearances and finished as Fulham’s leading scorer during his only season at Craven Cottage. It was a useful return from a 33-year-old forward playing in a team that finished in the lower half of the Premier League.
4. Louis Saha
- Fulham: 2000–2004 (Apps: 142 | Goals: 63)
- Manchester United: 2004–2008 (Apps: 124 | Goals: 42)
Louis Saha was one of the most important players in Fulham’s rise from the second tier to an established position in the Premier League.
After initially joining on loan from Metz, the French striker completed a permanent move and scored 27 league goals as Fulham won promotion in 2000/01.
Saha possessed pace, strength and the ability to finish with either foot. He was also comfortable moving into wider areas before attacking the penalty box, making him difficult for defenders to track.
His outstanding form during the first half of the 2003/04 season convinced Manchester United to pay around £12.4 million for him in January.
Saha scored on his United debut against Southampton and quickly demonstrated why Ferguson wanted him. Unfortunately, injuries prevented him from holding down a regular place for long periods.
He still scored 42 goals and won two Premier League titles, the League Cup and the Champions League. When fit, Saha was one of the most complete forwards in United’s squad.
5. Dimitar Berbatov
- Manchester United: 2008–2012 (Apps: 149 | Goals: 56)
- Fulham: 2012–2014 (Apps: 54 | Goals: 20)
Dimitar Berbatov joined Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur following a dramatic transfer deadline day in 2008.
His relaxed body language sometimes divided opinion, but there was never much doubt about his technical ability. Few Premier League forwards could control a difficult pass or create space with the same apparent ease.
Berbatov enjoyed his best United season in 2010/11, scoring 20 league goals and sharing the Premier League Golden Boot. That campaign included a hat-trick against Liverpool and five goals in one match against Blackburn Rovers.
He moved directly from Manchester United to Fulham in 2012, reuniting with former Tottenham manager Martin Jol.
Berbatov immediately became the main attraction at Craven Cottage. He scored 15 league goals during his first season and produced the memorable “Keep calm and pass me the ball” celebration.
Even near the end of his career in England, Berbatov could still make difficult football look effortless.
6. Chris Smalling
- Fulham: 2008–2010 (Apps: 19 | Goals: 0)
- Manchester United: 2010–2020 (Apps: 323 | Goals: 18)
Chris Smalling’s journey from non-league football to Manchester United happened remarkably quickly.
The centre-back was playing for Maidstone United when Fulham gave him an opportunity in 2008. He made his Premier League debut the following year and gradually worked his way into Roy Hodgson’s senior squad.
Smalling played only 19 competitive matches for Fulham, but that was enough to attract the attention of Manchester United. An agreement was announced in January 2010, with the defender remaining at Craven Cottage until the end of the season.
He subsequently spent a decade at Old Trafford and made 323 appearances. Smalling was not always the most popular defender among supporters, particularly when asked to play out from the back, but several managers continued to trust him.
He won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League. His best individual period came under Louis van Gaal, when he became one of United’s most reliable central defenders.
Few players have progressed from non-league football to more than 300 Manchester United appearances as rapidly as Smalling did.
7. Andreas Pereira
- Manchester United: 2014–2022 (Apps: 75 | Goals: 4)
- Fulham: 2022–2025 (Apps: 119 | Goals: 10)
Andreas Pereira spent much of his Manchester United career trying to establish his best position.
The Brazilian could operate centrally, as an attacking midfielder or from a wider role. He possessed clear technical ability but struggled to become an automatic starter at Old Trafford.
Loan spells with Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo followed as Pereira searched for regular first-team football. He eventually left Manchester United permanently to join Fulham in 2022.
The move gave him the stability that had been missing earlier in his career. Marco Silva used Pereira as one of Fulham’s main creative midfielders, with his set-piece delivery and willingness to press becoming important parts of the team.
He registered 119 appearances and 10 goals during three seasons at Craven Cottage. Although Pereira never fully fulfilled his early promise at Manchester United, his Fulham spell allowed him to become a recognised Premier League starter.
8. Daniel James
- Manchester United: 2019–2021 (Apps: 74 | Goals: 9)
- Fulham: 2022–2023, loan (Apps: 24 | Goals: 3)
Daniel James made an immediate impression at Manchester United after arriving from Swansea City in 2019.
The Welsh winger scored on his competitive debut against Chelsea and found the net three times in his first four Premier League appearances. His speed gave United a valuable counterattacking threat, although his final pass and decision-making could be inconsistent.
James remained a hard-working squad player and made 74 appearances before being sold to Leeds United in 2021.
A year later, Leeds sent him on loan to Fulham. Competition for places limited his opportunities, and he started only a small number of Premier League matches.
His most notable Fulham moment came against Manchester United in the 2023 FA Cup quarter-final. James came off the bench and scored against his former club at Old Trafford, although Fulham eventually lost the match 3–1 after Willian and Aleksandar Mitrović were sent off.
The loan did not lead to a permanent transfer, but it placed James among the players to represent both clubs.
Other Players Who Played for Manchester United and Fulham
The remaining ten players include a member of Matt Busby’s first great Manchester United team, several academy graduates and a handful of footballers whose Old Trafford careers lasted only one or two matches.
| Player | Manchester United period | Fulham period | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Mitten | 1946–1950 | 1951–1955 | A leading winger in Matt Busby’s early United side who later spent four seasons at Fulham. |
| Peter Beardsley | 1982–1983 | 1998 | Made one League Cup appearance for United before playing for Fulham near the end of his career. |
| Paul Parker | 1991–1996 | 1982–1987 and 1997 | Began his career at Fulham, won two Premier League titles with United and later returned briefly to Craven Cottage. |
| Erik Nevland | 1997–2000 | 2008–2010 | Played only once for United but became a useful squad forward under Roy Hodgson at Fulham. |
| Jonathan Greening | 1998–2001 | 2009–2011 | A United academy graduate who later helped Fulham reach the 2010 Europa League final. |
| David Healy | 1999–2001 | 2007–2008 | Received limited opportunities at both clubs despite being Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer. |
| Kieran Richardson | 2002–2007 | 2012–2014 | Won the Premier League with United before providing Fulham with an option in several positions. |
| Ryan Tunnicliffe | 2012–2014 | 2014–2017 | Made two League Cup appearances for United and later played regularly for Fulham in the Championship. |
| Larnell Cole | 2011–2014 | 2014–2017 | Appeared once for each first team and moved to Fulham alongside Tunnicliffe in January 2014. |
| Timothy Fosu-Mensah | 2016–2021 | 2017–2018, loan | Spent a season on loan at Fulham while attempting to gain regular Premier League experience. |
Why Have Manchester United and Fulham Shared So Many Players?
The connection is partly explained by the different positions the two clubs have traditionally occupied in English football.
Manchester United have usually built squads to compete for major trophies. Fulham, meanwhile, have often looked for experienced players who could provide Premier League quality without requiring a record transfer fee.
Players who were no longer guaranteed regular football at Old Trafford could therefore remain attractive to Fulham. Berbatov, Pereira, Richardson and James all arrived at Craven Cottage after their Manchester United careers had ended.
The route has also worked in the opposite direction.
Van der Sar restored his reputation at Fulham before becoming Manchester United’s long-awaited replacement for Peter Schmeichel. Saha earned his transfer through his goals, while Smalling developed from a non-league prospect into a Premier League defender at Craven Cottage.
There has also been a clear academy connection. Greening, Richardson, Tunnicliffe and Larnell Cole all spent important developmental years at Manchester United before later appearing for Fulham.
Not every move took place directly between the clubs, but the relationship has repeatedly offered players a new opportunity at the right moment in their careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players have played for both Manchester United and Fulham?
A total of 18 male players have made at least one competitive senior appearance for both Manchester United and Fulham.
Who is the greatest player to represent Manchester United and Fulham?
George Best is the greatest individual name on the list. He won the Ballon d’Or and European Cup with Manchester United before providing Fulham supporters with a brief but entertaining spell later in his career.
Edwin van der Sar arguably had the strongest career across both clubs because he was an established first-team player for Fulham before winning four Premier League titles and the Champions League at Manchester United.
Which players moved directly between Manchester United and Fulham?
Louis Saha, Edwin van der Sar and Chris Smalling moved directly from Fulham to Manchester United.
Dimitar Berbatov and Andreas Pereira travelled in the opposite direction, while Ryan Tunnicliffe and Larnell Cole joined Fulham together from Manchester United in January 2014. Timothy Fosu-Mensah also moved directly between the clubs on loan.
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