Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
Of course on Saturday, Manchester United host newly promoted side Norwich City at Old Trafford, looking for their sixth Premier League win of the season. With that in mind it’s worth looking at these 8 individuals who have both spent time at United and Norwich in their careers in the game.
Steve Bruce
In his prime there were few better defenders in England than Bruce, who ridiculously never won an England cap. After emerging as a talented youngster for Gillingham, Bruce joined Norwich in 1984 and in three and a half seasons developed further into a top, brave and young centre-back
Steve joined United midway through the 1987/88 season and quickly became a key part of United’s defence going onto form a legendary central defensive partnership with Gary Pallister. In a glittering career at Old Trafford he would win 11 major honours. He was dangerous in the other box too and scored 51 goals (many of them crucial) during his stay at the club.
Ritchie De Laet
Belgian defender De Laet joined Norwich on loan from United this summer and after spells out on loan to Championship sides Portsmouth, Preston and Sheffield United last season, is looking to establish himself as a right-back in the top-flight this time around.
Ritchie has started well this season at Norwich and despite being at fault for two goals Paul Lambert’s side have conceded this season, he has won fans over at Carrow Road with his commited and energetic performances. He may not make it back at Old Trafford but based on how he’s played for Norwich he has the ability make it as a professional in the Premier League.
Dion Dublin
Dublin may have only scored 3 goals in 17 appearances for United, but the facts suggested had his career at Old Trafford not have been blighted by injury that given how his career panned out that he would have been a success long-term at the club.
Dion was a brave centre forward and scored 112 Premier League goals, as he went onto become a popular figure during his prime at Coventry City and Aston Villa. He ended his career as he started it, at Norwich and won the club’s fans player of the year award in his final season as a professional. He was also a useful centre half too showing his versatility in the game.
David Healey
Northern Ireland’s leading scorer joined United in 1999 but only made 3 appearances for the club in two seasons before being sold to Preston North End midway through the 2000/01 season. Healey quickly settled at Preston and it wasn’t long before he was a regular for his country.
In between five successful years at Deepdale, David spent half a season out on loan at Norwich but only scored 2 times in 14 games. He then moved onto Leeds after they were relegated from the Premier League. He scored 31 times during three seasons at Elland Road but following the Whites relegation to League One, his career has nosedived and he’s now at Rangers in the SPL.
Phil Mulryne
There are not many players who make an appearance for their country before making their first team debut at club level. Northern Irishman Mulryne did just that. Despite being a skilful player on the ball he was a victim of the competition at United, making only 5 appearances for the club.
Phil would leave Old Trafford and join Norwich for £500k in March 1999 and quickly became a vital member of the Canaries midfield. Sadly a broken leg suffered in a reserve game set him back in his second season and his career never really hit the heights that it should have. He is now training to be a priest in the North East of Ireland after ending his playing career.
Alex Notman
Another victim of the competition at Old Trafford, Notman despite being a consistent scorer in United’s reserve and youth teams left the club after only making a single first team appearance, joining Norwich in 2000, where high hopes were expected of him.
Sadly he was never able to have a decent career as a professional and after two years where he drifted into a role as a right winger, a horrific injury sustained when blocking a free-kick against Ipswich effectively ended his career. Alex spent a year on the sidelines before retiring at the age of just 24 after making one come-back appearance against Burnley.
Mike Phelan
Today he may be known as United’s cheeky assistant manager, but it’s easy to forget Phelan’s accomplishments as a player at the club. Joining from Norwich where he made his name alongside the aforementioned Bruce, he became a steady player at Old Trafford.
Comfortable in a number of defensive and midfield positions, Mike was a reliable player at the club and won 4 major honours at the club in which he was a part of the side that won the inaguraial Premier League title in 1993. He returned to Norwich to become Gary Megson’s assistant in 1995, before later rejoining United in 1999 at the club’s centre of excellence.
Mark Robins
For a man who made only 27 starts for United, Robins ironically is one player who many pundits and fans of the club will never forget. Rightly or wrongly his winning goal in an FA Cup replay away to Nottingham Forest has gone down as the goal that saved Sir Alex Ferguson his job.
At the time United were 15th in the old first division and the pressure was on Ferguson to deliver some silverware to the club. On a tense night, Mark headed in a late Mark Hughes cross to bag the winner and United went onto win the competition that year in 1990. The forward left in 1992 joining Norwich, where he would became part of a famous side who beat Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup.
By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87
