From Goodwin to James: all 21 players to play for both Man United and Leeds United

Manchester United will take on Leeds United this Monday evening at Old Trafford. The game is not just a massive match for the Champions League places but is also one of United’s most bitter rivalries. In spite of this bad feeling between the two sides, numerous players have crossed the Pennines either directly or indirectly over the years. Here is a comprehensive list of the players who have done so, arranged in the order of most appearances for Manchester United. Only players who made a senior appearance for both United and Leeds have been included. Every player to play for Man United and Leeds United Player nameMan United appearancesGoalsYears Active Denis Irwin529331990-2002 Rio Ferdinand45582002-2013 Lee Sharpe263361988-1986 Brian Greenhoff221131970-1979 Gordon Strachan206381984-1989 Eric Cantona185821992-1997 Gordon McQueen184201978-1985 Joe Jordan126411978-1981 Johnny Giles115131959-1964 Freddie Goodwin9571953-1960 Alan Smith93122004-2007 Dan James7492019-2021 Arthur Graham5271983-1985 Liam Miller2202004-2006 Cameron Borthwick-Jackson1402015-2016 Danny Pugh702002-2004 Scott Wootton402010-2013 David Healy301999-2000 Danny Webber302000-2003 Largie Ramazani102019-2020 Paul Rachubka102000-2002 1) Denis Irwin Irwin was Mr Consistency for the Red Devils in the 1990s. The Irishman came through the Leeds academy but spent 12 glorious years with United, winning every trophy available. 2) Rio Ferdinand The legendary United defender joined the club from Leeds in 2002 in a bitter transfer, but he had the last laugh as he won numerous titles including the Champions League with the club in 2008. 3) Lee Sharpe Sharpe spent eight successful years at United and was instrumental in the first Premier League-winning sides. The flying winger left the club in 1996 directly for Leeds and spent three seasons in Yorkshire. 4) Brian Greenhoff Greenhoff came through the United ranks and spent the seventies at the club. The centre-back would later join Leeds in 1979 and would play for three seasons at Elland Road. 5) Gordon Strachan The feisty Scot represented both clubs over 200 times in the 1980s. Like many, he departed Old Trafford straight for Elland Road in 1988. 6) Eric Cantona Despite Ferdinand playing many more games for United, Cantona is probably the most iconic player to transfer between the two clubs. After winning the title with Leeds in 1992, he moved to United and would be the catalyst for United winning four of the next five Premier League titles before abruptly retiring in 1997. 7) Gordon McQueen The Scottish centre-back spent six seasons at Leeds before crossing the Pennines to Lancashire. The tough defender would go on to win an FA Cup and Charity Shield with the Red Devils. 8) Joe Jordan The tough-as-nails forward played eight seasons at Elland Road before crossing over to United. He played four seasons at the club but ultimately failed to win a trophy. 9) Johnny Giles The Dubliner started his career at United before leaving for Leeds in 1963. The midfielder would go on to spend an impressive 12 seasons in Yorkshire after his Old Trafford stint. 10) Freddie Goodwin One of the Busby Babes, he spent seven years at United in the 1950s before leaving for Leeds in 1960. The wing half would also go on to play for Scunthorpe United and the New York Generals. 11) Alan Smith Despite not playing too long at the club, Smith is one of the most iconic players to move between the great rivals. The vocally boyhood Leeds fan left the club after they were surprisingly relegated in 2004 and joined his bitter enemy. 12) Dan James The Welshman moved to United in 2019 but could never really nail down a starting spot. He moved to Leeds in 2021 and is still representing the Whites. 13) Arthur Graham The left winger played six seasons at Leeds before transferring to United in 1983. He only spent two seasons at Old Trafford and won a Charity Shield in the summer he joined. 14) Liam Miller Miller joined United from Celtic in the early 2000s but could never make a serious impact in the first team. Whilst never joining Leeds permanently, he did represent them in the 2005–2006 season on loan. 15) Cameron Borthwick-Jackson The left-back broke through under Louis van Gaal in the 2015–2016 season but would get little chance under Jose Mourinho. Like Miller, he only joined Leeds on loan for the 2017–18 season but made little to no impact. 16) Danny Pugh Pugh came through the United academy but could never make a place in the first team squad his own. He joined Leeds in 2004 before moving on in 2006 after also falling out of favour there. 17) Scott Wootton Wootton made some appearances for the first team in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season in charge but moved on to Leeds swiftly after. He spent three seasons in Yorkshire before moving to Milton Keynes Dons. 18) David Healy Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer came through the United academy but only managed three appearances. He left United for Preston North End but would join Leeds in the Championship and spent three seasons at Elland Road. 19) Danny Webber Webber came through the United academy but had extremely limited first team opportunities. He would play for a multitude of clubs but would join Leeds in 2012 in the twilight of his career. 20) Largie Ramazani Ramazani, alongside James, is the other player on this list who is still at Leeds. He made one appearance for the Red Devils in the Europa League before leaving for Almeria. He joined Leeds in 2024 but is currently on loan at Valencia CF. 21) Paul Rachubka The American keeper only made one appearance for United before leaving the club. After spending time at Huddersfield Town and Blackpool, he joined Leeds in 2011 and spent two years at the club. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.