Mason Mount: 8 Premier League stars who played for both Chelsea and Manchester United before the English midfielder
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Mason Mount is the ninth player to feature for both Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League

Mason Mount: 8 Premier League stars who played for both Chelsea and Manchester United before the English midfielder

Tunde Young 15:56 - 05.07.2023

With Mason Mount’s transfer from Chelsea to Manchester United confirmed, he will become the ninth player to feature for both teams in the Premier League but who were the previous eight?

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea, putting an end to the protracted transfer saga of the summer.

The 24-year-old midfielder said his goodbyes to Chelsea fans in a heartfelt video posted on his social media pages.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1676308319705657345?s=20

Manchester United paid Chelsea a £60 million fee (£55m + £5m addons) for the services of Mount who joins on a six-year contract.

As a result, Mount will become the ninth player to suit up for both Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League by the time he makes his debut in red when the 2023/24 season commences.

Mason Mount is a Manchester United player
Mason Mount is a Manchester United player Mason Mount is a Manchester United player

This article explores the previous eight players to have done so in descending order of recency, taking a look at their careers and how they fared at both clubs.

8 players who played for both Manchester United and Chelsea before Mason Mount

Honourable mentions must go out to John Obi Mikel who is forever associated with both clubs for being the subject of a very public transfer tussle and although he never actually played for Manchester United, he enjoyed a successful decade-long career at Chelsea.

John Obi Mikel was the subject of a big transfer dispute between Chelsea and Manchester United
John Obi Mikel was the subject of a big transfer dispute between Chelsea and Manchester United John Obi Mikel was the subject of a big transfer dispute between Chelsea and Manchester United

Legendary Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho also qualifies for an honourable mention for prominently managing and winning trophies with both teams.

As do the likes of Ray Wilkins and George Graham, both of whom played for both Manchester United and Chelsea but before the Premier League era.

Now that the mentions are out of the way, here is the list of eight players who have played for both Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League going from the most recent to the very first.

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku first joined Chelsea as an 18-year-old in the summer of 2011 for £17 million from Anderlecht and found game time difficult to come by in his first season, playing just 12 matches in all competitions and failing to score.

Romelu Lukaku played for both Chelsea and Manchester United
Romelu Lukaku played for both Chelsea and Manchester United Romelu Lukaku played for both Chelsea and Manchester United

He was sent on loan to West Brom and Everton in the following two seasons where he blossomed, prompting the latter to sign him for £28 million in July 2014.

Three years later, Manchester United paid £75 million, plus £15 million in add-ons to sign Lukaku and therefore earn a place on this list.

The big Belgian would return to Chelsea in the summer of 2021, rejoining the club for £97.5 million from Inter Milan, although his second coming has been nothing short of a disaster.

In total, Lukaku’s time at Manchester United was more successful, scoring 42 goals in 96 games compared to 15 goals in 59 games across two spells for Chelsea.

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Juan Mata

Similar to the ongoing Mason Mount situation, Juan Mata left Chelsea to join Manchester United mid-season in 2014.

Juan Mata left Chelsea to join Manchester United in 2014
Juan Mata left Chelsea to join Manchester United in 2014

The Spanish midfielder joined Chelsea in the summer of 2011 from Valencia for £23.5 million and hit the ground running, helping the club win their first UEFA Champions League title in his first season as well as the FA Cup while also winning the Chelsea Player of the Year award.

Mata would win the award the next season again due to another terrific individual campaign which led to a Europa League title, also the club’s first-ever.

The start of the 2013/14 season saw the appointment of Jose Mourinho in his second stint as Chelsea manager and also the end of Mata’s time at Stamford Bridge as he fell out of favour with the new coach and was sold six months later.

Manchester United paid just over £37 million to sign Mata in what was a club-record transfer fee at the time but the Spaniard never could replicate the brilliance of his first two years at Chelsea despite spending the rest of his career at Old Trafford.

Mata scored 32 goals and assisted 58 in 135 games across two-and-half seasons at Chelsea compared to his 51 goals and 47 assists in 285 games in eight-and-half seasons at Manchester United.

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Nemanja Matic

Another midfielder who left Chelsea directly to join Manchester United, Nemanja Matic had two spells in Blue, first joining as a teenager for £1.5 million in 2009 from Kosice.

Nemanja Matic left Chelsea to join Manchester United in 2017
Nemanja Matic left Chelsea to join Manchester United in 2017 Nemanja Matic left Chelsea to join Manchester United in 2017

And after one loan spell with Vitesse, the Serbian was used as a makeweight in the deal to sign David Luiz from Benfica two years later, sending Matic to Portugal where he blossomed.

Two-and-half seasons later, Chelsea re-signed Matic in January 2014, paying Benfica £21 million, this time as a key player.

By the end of his third full season at Stamford Bridge, Matic had contributed heavily to two Premier League titles and an FA Cup, prompting Manchester United to fork out £40 million in the summer of 2017.

He went on to play 189 games for Manchester United over the next five years compared to his 151 games in the Blue of Chelsea.

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Radamel Falcao

Manchester United had high hopes when they signed prolific striker Radamel Falcao from Monaco in the summer of 2014 on a £265,000 weekly contract and an option to buy for £43.5 million which seemed like a bargain considering his reputation at the time.

Radamel Falcao flopped at Manchester United and Chelsea
Radamel Falcao flopped at Manchester United and Chelsea Radamel Falcao flopped at Manchester United and Chelsea

But the Colombian flopped spectacularly at Old Trafford, scoring just four goals in 29 games across all competitions.

Chelsea offered Falcao one more lifeline the following season, also on a loan deal with an option to buy but he flopped even harder, this time only playing 12 games and scoring once across all competitions.

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Juan Sebastian Veron

In the summer of 2001, Manchester United paid £28.1 million to sign Argentine midfielder, Juan Sebastian Veron from Lazio on a five-year deal, making him the most expensive transfer in English football at that time and also the first non-European player to break the English transfer record.

Juan Sebastian Veron failed to hit the heights at both Chelsea and Manchester United
Juan Sebastian Veron failed to hit the heights at both Chelsea and Manchester United

And although he started the season on fire, winning the Premier League Player of the Month award, Veron slowed down and lost steam.

Another average season followed but this time he had a Premier League title to show for it in 2002/03 after which he left to join Chelsea.

Chelsea paid £15 million to sign Veron from Manchester United at the start of the Roman Abramovich era but injuries limited the Argentine to just 14 games across all competitions after which he was loaned to Inter Milan for two seasons.

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Mark Hughes

The younger generation most likely knows Mark Hughes for his managerial career but the Welshman was a prolific striker in his day and did it for multiple top clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea.

Mark Hughes starred for both Manchester United and Chelsea in his playing days
Mark Hughes starred for both Manchester United and Chelsea in his playing days Mark Hughes starred for both Manchester United and Chelsea in his playing days

Hughes started his career at Manchester United and debuted as a 19-year-old, going on to score 47 goals in 121 games in three seasons after which he spent time with Barcelona and Bayern Munich in each of the following seasons.

After two years abroad, Hughes rejoined Manchester United for a club-record £1.8 million in 1988 and remained at the club for the next seven years, the final three of which were Premier League years, qualifying him for this list.

The centre-forward scored 116 goals in 352 games, winning two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and one EFL Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup and European Super Cup apiece.

Chelsea paid £1 million to sign Hughes from Manchester United in 1995 and he scored 39 goals in 135 games for the Blues across the next three years.

He won three trophies at Chelsea, the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup once each in a successful stint at Stamford Bridge.

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Mark Bosnich

Mark Bosnich is an Australian goalkeeper who played across two stints for Manchester United and briefly for Chelsea as well.

Mark Bosnich played for both Manchester United and Chelsea
Mark Bosnich played for both Manchester United and Chelsea

His first spell at Manchester United was as a youngster where Bosnich played three games in two years between 1989 and 1991.

Eight years after leaving and establishing himself at Aston Villa, Bosnich returned to Manchester United as a free agent to replace the departed Peter Schmeichel in 1999 and played 35 games in his first season, winning the Premier League.

United signed French World Cup winner Fabian Barthez the following year, making Bosnich dispensable and he never played for Manchester United again, leaving to join Chelsea in January 2001.

Injuries stopped the Australian from making a mark at Stamford Bridge, only playing seven games in three years at Chelsea.

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Paul Parker

Before Gary Neville, Paul Parker was the staple at right back for Manchester United from when he was signed from QPR in 1991 to his last good season for the club in 1994.

Paul Parker had a successful time at Manchester United but struggled at Chelsea
Paul Parker had a successful time at Manchester United but struggled at Chelsea Paul Parker had a successful time at Manchester United but struggled at Chelsea

Parker was a United player till 1996 but barely played in his final two seasons due to injury and the emergence of Neville.

He never quite regained his form and had several short stints at different clubs including Chelsea where he played just four games in 1997.

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