Top five players to play for both Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund

Only individuals with a lot of talent and quality can play for not one but both football clubs.

Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are big players in their respective leagues in England and Germany respectively. Both clubs are desirable destinations for top players across the world because of their history of developing players. Interestingly, some individuals have represented both clubs - which is not a small feat in the slightest.

Many players of high quality and talent are always on the radar of the Red Devils and the Black & Yellows. Individuals like Jadon Sancho, Shinji Kagawa and more have represented both teams which makes them a part of a very exclusive list of players. Marcel Sabitzer becomes the latest player to represent both clubs after agreeing to sign for BVB from Bayern Munich on a permanent transfer. 

As the midfielder prepares to start his journey with the Bundesliga outfit, here is a look at the top five players that have played for both Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund:

Adnan Januzaj

Adnan Januzaj was expected to be the next superstar to come from Manchester United’s academy ranks. The Belgian winger showed early promise with the Red Devils but the weight of expectations soon got the better of him. He played 63 games for the senior MUFC team and scored only five goals with six assists. Borussia Dortmund decided to bet on the winger and rescued him from the Premier League.

The Black & Yellows signed him in 2015 on a season-long loan. In his 12 appearances for BVB, Januzaj could not score any goals or make any assists despite a handful of impressive performances. He went back to MUFC after the loan ended and signed for Sunderland on loan before his permanent transfer to Real Sociedad in 2017. 

Marcel Sabitzer

Marcel Sabitzer spent the latter part of the 2022-23 season with Manchester United on a brief loan. The Red Devils did not explore the opportunity to make the move permanent which saw the midfielder return to Bayern Munich at the end of the season. He played 18 games for the Red Devils and scored three times with one assist.

Despite winning the League Cup with Manchester United, it was not meant to be a long association between the club and the player. Now, the Austrian midfielder has signed for Borussia Dortmund on a permanent move from FC Bayern Munich before the 2023-24 campaign. 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was enjoying his football at Borussia Dortmund before moving to Manchester United. He came to the Premier League with a lot of promise under the leadership of Louis van Gaal. The midfielder played on 140 occasions for BVB and scored 41 times with 49 assists.

However, time at Manchester United was not as smooth for the Armenian international. He played 63 games, scoring 13 goals and making 11 assists. He moved to Arsenal in a swap deal in January 2018 which saw Alexis Sanchez join MUFC.

Shinji Kagawa

Shinji Kagawa was extremely impressive at Manchester United. The Japanese midfielder won the Premier League with the Red Devils in a brief spell clubbed between his playing days with Borussia Dortmund. He came to Europe in 2010 after signing for BVB from Cerezo Osaka in Japan.

Shinji Kagawa played 57 games for Manchester United but he notched up 216 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit before permanently moving to Real Zaragoza in 2019. 

Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho’s transfer saga became extremely frustrating for Manchester United fans after the club failed to sign him during the 2020-21 season from Borussia Dortmund. However, persistence by the Red Devils was rewarded after Sancho finally joined MUFC ahead of the 2021-22 season for a €85.00m fee.

During his time with Borussia Dortmund which began in 2017, Sancho scored 50 goals and provided 64 assists in 137 appearances. Despite his rocky start to life at MUFC, Sancho retains the trust of the fans due to his mentality to succeed at the top level. Currently, he has 12 goals and six assists for the Red Devils from 79 appearances.