A number of players have represented both Manchester United and Ipswich Town over the years, with varying degrees of success.
Alan Brazil
The big Scot was the goal-scoring force as the Blues claimed the UEFA Cup in 1981, but his switch to Old Trafford didn’t quite work out as planned with injuries hampering his season with the Red Devils.
Arnold Muhren
The Dutchman fared better than his former teammate, Brazil, as he backed up his success with the Blues with a FA Cup win with United in 1983, before returning to Holland to play for Ajax.
David Johnson
Released by Manchester United without playing a senior game, although he was part of the squad which won the FA Youth Cup in 1995, Johnson arrived at Portman Road from Bury for £1.1million in 1997 and never looked back. He scored 62 goals for the club in four years in Suffolk, before moving to Nottingham Forest in 2001.
Lee Martin
One that didn’t really work out at Portman Road, after he was bought straight from Old Trafford for £1.75m by Roy Keane in 2009. He seemed to fit the bill, as the Blues looked for some creativity, but he fell out of favour and was loaned to Charlton before eventually being released by Mick McCarthy in 2013.
David Healy
As a young striker, Healy burst onto the scene in the late 90s, not at club level but rather in international football where he remains Northern Ireland’s all-time leading scorer. That international success hasn’t ever translated to club football, though, with his loan at Ipswich in 2010 (12 games, one goal) one of many which didn’t work out. He retired in 2013.
Michael Clegg
The young full-back came on loan to Ipswich from Old Trafford in 2000 and didn’t last long, making just three appearances before returning to his parent club. He later went on to play for Oldham and is now a strength and conditioning coach at Sunderland.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
Another in the mould of Johnson, who made his name away from Old Trafford following his release as a youngster. Ebanks-Blake did play two League Cup games under Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring once, but really emerged at Wolves where he took the Championship by storm. Injuries have troubled him, which led him to a short-term move to Ipswich in 2013, but he didn’t manage a goal and is now plying his trade with Chesterfield in League One.
Danny Higginbotham
The rugged defender appeared seven times for the Reds before a £2million move to Derby in 2000, before clocking up another £4million in transfer fees with moves to Sunderland, Southampton and Stoke. He made 12 loan appearances for the Blues in 2012 and now works in television. He began an international career with Gibraltar in 2013, aged 34, earning three caps.
Danny Simpson
The right-sided full back was tipped for big things when he broke into the first team squad at Old Trafford but it didn’t work out, despite a few flashes. He came to Ipswich in 2008 and played eight times under Jim Magilton before joining Newcastle and then moving on to QPR before signing for current club Leicester.
Cameron Stewart
The winger was released without playing a game for United, joining Hull, following a loan. Temporary stops at Burnley, Blackburn, Charlton and Leeds followed before his move to Portman Road, which also looks likely to end without a league appearance to his name. He’s currently on loan at Doncaster.
Ryan Tunnicliffe
Another loanee, the midfielder made 29 appearances in 2013/14 without every truly capturing the imagination of the Ipswich fans. He was recalled by United and then sold to Fulham, who promptly loaned him straight to Wigan. He’s now back at Fulham and has played four times this season.
Freddie Veseli
Another miss. Veseli played one League Cup game for Ipswich after signing following his release by Manchester United, before being loaned out to Bury before his contract ended at Portman Road. He now plays for Lugano in his Swiss homeland.
Richie Wellens
One league cup game is all Richie Wellens had to show for his apprenticeship at Manchester United, but he’s had a pretty good career since. As well as Blackpool, Oldham and Doncaster, one stop was a loan spell at Ipswich from Leicester in 2012 where he played four games for Paul Jewell and then three for Mick McCarthy. Despite only being with the club for two months, he felt able to speak his mind as he declared not enough Ipswich players cared about losing.
Zeki Fryers
Crystal Palace spent £5million on the full-back to take him from Manchester United, and loaned him to Ipswich for three games at the end of last season. He’s back at Palace now but hasn’t played this season.
Reece Brown
Forgotten about this guy? The brother of Wes Brown was loaned to Ipswich from Old Trafford in 2013 and played 13 minutes for the Blues in a defeat at Nottingham Forest. Now at Bury.
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