Five players who played for Manchester United and Lyon, including two Premier League winners

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United and Lyon face off in the Europa League quarter-finals, but only five footballers have had the honour of representing both clubs.

Ruben Amorim hopes he can salvage Manchester United’s season after a turbulent campaign, with the Reds sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League.

The only way to achieve that is by winning the Europa League outright but, to do that, United face some tricky hurdles.

After beating Real Sociedad 5-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, Amorim can expect a more physical battle from his Ligue 1 opponents, but it bodes well that Lyon are without two key players.

It promises to be an exciting affair with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs. The winner of this tie will face either Rangers or Athletic Bilbao in the next round.

To preview the match, United in Focus takes a look at the five players who played for both Manchester United and Lyon.

Who played for Manchester United and Lyon?

It’s not tricky to find a player who played for both Lyon and United, especially when all five of the players are from recent memory.

Former United midfielder Nemanja Matic currently plays for Lyon and is expected to start on Thursday night. The Serb is one of two of the players in this listicle to have won the Premier League, although he achieved that feat during his time at Chelsea.

Rafael Da Silva boasts a far more impressive record at United, having won the Premier League three times, before spending five seasons at Lyon.

The other three players to represent both United and Lyon include Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay and Wilfried Zaha.

Manchester United linked with swoop for Lyon playmaker

Lyon star Rayan Cherki could use the two-legged affair against United as an audition amid links that a move could be on the cards for the 21-year-old talent.

Recent reports suggest United lead Real Madrid in the race for Cherki, who is enjoying an incredible season and will be aiming to inflict pain on the Reds in the Europa League.

The playmaker has nine goals and 18 assists across all competition this season and could become one of the most sought-after players in the transfer market this summer.

United get a chance to see Cherki up close this week before the second leg takes place at Old Trafford.