Manchester United and Manchester City have played out some of the most memorable games in Premier League history when they have met in the fiercely contested Manchester derby.
Their clashes over the years have seen some truly memorable occasions which have produced some horror tackles, fights and red cards.
Roy Keane's challenge on Alfie Haaland back in 2001 is a prime example of the fierce nature of this fixture, with the Manchester City ace, father of Erling Haaland, never setting foot on a pitch again following the challenge from the Irishman.
Given the ferocious nature of this fixture, it is hard to imagine any player crossing the city divide and representing both sides, however, there are many examples of this and we at Football FanCast have taken a look into the history books to see which players have done just that.
Carlos Tevez
Arguably the first player people will think of when it comes to the conversation of players who have represented both teams is the Argentine striker, Carlos Tevez.
The forward was brought to the Premier League in 2006 by West Ham United and made the move to Manchester in 2007 in what was a two-year loan deal to the Red Devils.
Tevez was able to rack up 99 appearances for United over those two seasons and provided Sir Alex Ferguson's side a steady return of 34 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.
However, the end of his loan spell at Old Trafford left the Argentine with a big decision to make on his future and his answer was one which sent shockwaves throughout the Premier League.
Indeed, Tevez did not return to West Ham for long as the striker made the move to the Etihad Stadium in a deal believed to be worth in the region of £25m.
His return to Manchester was welcomed with a public advertisement in the city centre which showed the Argentine's image in a Ciy strip and the slogan 'Welcome to Manchester'.
It was a move which did not disappoint, as he returned a seriously impressive 73 goals and 35 assists which helped his side on to win the Premier League in 2012.
He then further stoked the fires when holding a distasteful banner aimed at former boss Ferguson following City's dramatic title triumph during the club's trophy parade.
Peter Schmeichel
The Danish goalkeeper has gone down as one of the greatest in the Premier League era, and his initial stint in the English top flight was spent at Old Trafford with United.
Schmeichel spent eight years with the Red Devils where he was able to get his hands on a number of honours including five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup and the Champions League in 1999.
United's best-ever season came in 1999 when the Red Devils were able to complete the treble in Barcelona with that stunning victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, and Schmeichel played a huge role in that campaign.
However, after 398 appearances for United, Schmeichel left the club for Sporting CP before returning to the Premier League with Aston Villa and then Manchester City.
But his time on the blue side of Manchester was short-lived, with the Dane tallying just 31 appearances for City before calling it a day on his career in 2003.
Owen Hargreaves
Sticking with players from the not-so-distant past, midfielder Owen Hargreaves represented both Manchester sides – although his time at City may have been forgotten by some.
The Canada-born midfielder made the switch from Bayern Munich to Old Trafford in 2007 where he was able to tally up just 39 appearances in what was an injury-riddled period of his career.
However, whilst playing in the red half of the city, Hargreaves was able to get his hands on three Premier League titles and the Champions League.
But 39 appearances in all competitions over four years did not prove enough for United to extend his stay, and instead, Hargreaves left on a free for their city rivals in 2011.
The midfielder's spell at the Etihad was barely memorable for any at the club with Hargreaves playing just four times in their first-ever Premier League-winning campaign.
Much like Schmeichel, Hargreaves would retire after his single season with City.
Brian Kidd
Now, it is time to take a dive into the history books and look at the career of Brian Kidd. The forward came through the ranks at Manchester United where he spent his youth in the club's system.
In 1967, Sir Matt Busby awarded Kidd with his debut for the Red Devils in a league game against Everton at the age of just 18 – albeit a 3-1 draw.
Kidd was a part of the United side which got their hands on the 1967/68 Champions League title before leaving in 1974 for English powerhouses, Arsenal.
However, Kidd's spell in the capital only lasted two years before he made his return to Manchester, but this time it was for the blue side of the city.
Kidd would go on to play 128 times for the Citizens and rack up over 50 goals for the club; including three goals against his former side in their Manchester Derby clashes.
Following the end of Kidd's career, he would make his return to both United and City in a variety of coaching roles where he has been involved in the Premier League duo winning a whopping nine Premier League titles.
Jadon Sancho
This may prove to be a controversial inclusion in this list, however, Jadon Sancho has represented both Manchester clubs.
The winger's career began at City where he was on the books with the current European champions through their youth development system.
However, the controversy in his inclusion may come from the fact he did not actually play for City's first team, as he departed City for Borussia Dortmund back in 2017 as he sought first-team opportunities.
His time in Germany lasted four years before he made his return to the city. This time he would make his move to the red side of Manchester.
Having joined following a dazzling spell with the Bundesliga side, Sancho's time at United has proven nothing short of a disaster. The £73m signing's future at Old Trafford already looks in serious doubt ahead of January following his public falling out with Erik ten Hag.
Andy Cole
One of the great Premier League strikers, Andy Cole, joined the Red Devils back in 1995 from Newcastle United where he would go on to continue his dazzling form up front for United.
Indeed, over his 275 appearances for United across all competitions, Cole scored a staggering 121 goals and provided 45 assists under Sir Alex Ferguson.
His time at Old Trafford was a huge success and he will be remembered for his role in the Red Devils lifting five Premier League titles, one Champions League and two FA Cups.
After leaving United in 2002 for Blackburn Rovers, Cole would eventually find himself returning to Manchester in 2006 to play for City.
Although this move happened towards the back end of Cole's career, the Englishman still provided an impressive return of 10 goals and five assists across his 23 appearances in all competitions.
Terry Cooke
Returning our attention back to the not-so-distant past, midfielder Terry Cooke began his career at Old Trafford where he was able to rack up just seven appearances across all competitions.
His time at Old Trafford clearly was not meant to be with the midfielder spending a lot of his time away from United on various loans.
One of those loans was to City, where he would play 37 times for the Sky Blues across all competitions – scoring eight goals.
However, his career was hindered by injury issues with the back end of playing days spent moving from club to club.
Other players
Post World War II, there have been a total of 14 players to represent both sides of Manchester, however, not all have played huge roles for the two clubs during their stints.
And there have been some big names to don the shirts of the Manchester duo, with the likes of Peter Beardsley an English footballing icon who has represented the two clubs.
Alongside the former Newcastle United hero, there has been Peter Barnes who played a combined 67 times for the two clubs where he was able to get his hands on the 1976 League Cup with City.
There have also been the links of Wyn Davies, John Gidman, Andrei Kanchelskis, Sam McIlroy and Mark Robins all to enjoy spells with the two powerhouses.
However, the gap between the high-flying City and the struggling United currently feels fairly significant, so it is hard to imagine Pep Guardiola would be keen to bring in any of the current crop from Old Trafford.
On the other hand, with City fresh off their treble-winning campaign, it would be understandable if the Red Devils would welcome a number of Guardiola's men over to the red half of the city after what has been a turbulent start to the 2023/24 campaign.
