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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
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Tom Victor

Man Utd's 13 French players ranked in order of greatness amid Adrien Rabiot links

If Manchester United decide Adrien Rabiot is the solution to their midfield problems history won't entirely be on their side.

The Juventus and France star is one of the latest names to be heavily linked with an Old Trafford switch after the likes of Frenkie de Jong had taken centre-stage earlier in the summer. Rabiot himself will be keen to earn minutes as he aims to cement his place in Didier Deschamps' squad for the upcoming World Cup.

If he signs, the 27-year-old will become the 14th French player to represent United in the Premier League era, with mixed results. Here, Mirror Football ranks the 13 to have tried their luck so far.

13. William Prunier

Prunier was a real blink-and-you'd-miss-it United signing. The Bordeaux defender arrived on trial and played just twice for the first team during an injury crisis at the back.

The second of those games was a 4-1 defeat at Tottenham, which also saw goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington play 45 minutes after an injury to Peter Schmeichel. He left England not long after.

12. Gabriel Obertan

The summer of 2009 was a big one for Man Utd, with Cristiano Ronaldo leaving for Real Madrid. Rather than adding a host of senior stars, though, they brought in another Bordeaux man in the form of Obertan.

How would you rank Man Utd's 13 Frenchman? Have your say in the comments section

Gabriel Obertan joined Man Utd the week after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club (PA)

The winger had impressed for France's under-21s against England a few months earlier but was unable to hit the same heights in United colours. He scored just once in two seasons before moving to Newcastle and is now playing in the American third tier at the age of 33.

11. David Bellion

Bellion arrived with plenty of optimism surrounding him. The forward had impressed in England for Sunderland and moved to Old Trafford after the Black Cats' relegation from the Premier League.

There were some bright moments, including a goal against Fenerbahce in the same game which brought a debut hat-trick for Wayne Rooney. However, Bellion left in 2006 after failing to kick on and spent the following decade back in France before retiring.

10. Morgan Schneiderlin

£25m Morgan Schneiderlin only had one full season as a Man Utd player (REUTERS)

Schneiderlin's arrival was one which made plenty of sense on paper. A full French international with more than 100 Premier League games under his belt, who had shown an ability to step up after winning promotion with Southampton.

It wasn't to be, though, with Louis van Gaal leaving as manager just a year after signing the midfielder. New manager Jose Mourinho added another French midfielder (more on him later), and Schneiderlin was sold at a loss after just 32 Premier League appearances over 18 months.

9. Laurent Blanc

United knew they weren't getting peak Blanc when he signed in 2001. The centre-back's World Cup win had come three years earlier, and he was 35 when he arrived at Old Trafford.

After a difficult first season, the veteran turned things around in year two and helped Sir Alex Ferguson's team win the title. A solid enough turnaround, but not a roaring success.

Laurent Blanc ended his playing career at Old Trafford (PA)

8. Raphael Varane

Varane could yet move himself up this list. However, after just one full season as a Manchester United season, he still has work to do.

The former Real Madrid player arrived with plenty of fanfare in August 2021, and there was a celebratory mood when he was unveiled on the pitch on the day United beat Leeds 5-1 in their Premier League opener. Injuries hindered his first few months, though, and he'll hope for better fortunes under Erik ten Hag.

7. Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba's standing among Manchester United fans may change from day to day and could vary wildly depending on who you speak to. There has rarely been a more divisive figure, and that's unlikely to stop being the case now that he's moved on.

Paul Pogba's second Man Utd stint included extreme highs and lows (Getty Images)

It's easy to forget, given the noise around his exit, but there were plenty of high points. The 2016-17 Europa League run stands out, as does the derby comeback against Manchester City.

There were also plenty of lowlights, though, not least the forgettable cameo in last season's 5-0 defeat at home to Liverpool. Leaving for free after being bought for nearly £90m isn't a great look either, but we'll always have the arguments about him on TV and amongst the fanbase.

6. Fabien Barthez

Barthez is another who, like Pogba, had extreme highs and lows. Many will remember the glaring mistakes, but there were moments when he felt ready to fill that Peter Schmeichel-shaped void for years to come.

In the end, the goalkeeper played more than 90 Premier League games, winning two Premier League titles. He also, admittedly, threw away results on more than one occasion with some rather erratic play.

Fabien Barthez's Man Utd spell featured big saves and high-profile errors (Reuters)

"I was never a fan of Fabien Barthez," former teammate Phil Neville told DAZN in 2020. "He obviously won a World Cup, he had a brilliant left foot but I was never a fan. He let goals in so easily. He had a great temperament, he was brave but he just let too many in."

5. Anthony Martial

The 2022-23 season looks like being a pivotal one for Martial. The forward ended the previous campaign on loan at Sevilla, where he struggled to make an impact, but showed a bit of his past quality in pre-season.

The version of Martial signed by United back in 2015 was a special one. The former Monaco man arrived at great cost, but a goalscoring debut was the start of an impressive first season.

Anthony Martial still has time to strengthen his Man Utd reputation (Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Consistency has been the issue, with the forward - now 26 - only reaching double-figures for league goals in three of his seven seasons. Were he to leave without improving that record, it might feel like an opportunity missed.

4. Mikael Silvestre

Silvestre might not have had the natural talent or spark of some of the others on this list, but his value to United was clear. More than 350 games after arriving from Inter Milan is a testament to that.

The defender had only just turned 22 when he began life as a United player and was a key part of multiple title-winning sides and an unused sub in the 2008 Champions League final. This was despite Ferguson deciding to move him between left-back and central defence depending on what the situation required.

"The choice was easy to make because United had just won the Treble," Silvestre later told FourFourTwo, explaining Liverpool had also been interested. “On matchday [against Liverpool] I had a brief chat with Houllier, who jokingly asked me, ‘Why didn’t you sign for us?’ But he said he understood my choice.”

3. Louis Saha

Louis Saha could have achieved even more for Man Utd were it not for injuries (Reuters)

Over the years, Ferguson's United made plenty of plays to sign stars of smaller Premier League clubs. These didn't always pay off, but Saha was one of the relative success stories.

The forward had spent time at Newcastle United as a youngster before helping Fulham climb to the Premier League. After showing he could still score goals at the top level, the Paris-born frontman moved to Old Trafford midway through the 2003-04 season.

Injuries were a factor for Saha, perhaps preventing him from becoming a true legend for United. Still, after helping Ferguson's side end their Premier League title drought in 2007, he left a year later with plenty of fans in the north west.

2. Patrice Evra

Patrice Evra quickly established himself as a fan favourite (AFP/Getty Images)

A big jump up, here, with Evra much loved by plenty of United fans. That wasn't always a guarantee, though, with the former Monaco man taking some time to establish himself.

The left-back was a huge part of Ferguson's second dominant United side, along with fellow January 2006 signing Nemanja Vidic. He featured prominently in each of the club's last five Premier League titles, as well as their three Champions League finals in the space of four years.

Evra enjoyed a great relationship with Ferguson, describing the manager as a father figure. He stuck around for just one season after the legendary manager's retirement but remains very popular with supporters.

1. Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona was one of Man Utd's most important players during the 90s (Bongarts/Getty Images)

The man who started off Man Utd's Premier League dominance. Who else could it be but Cantona?

It took a falling out with Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson for Cantona to become available less than a year after helping the club to the title. Even then, though, a move to Leeds' fierce rivals seemed improbable until it was official.

After completing his £1.2m switch, Cantona helped Man Utd win four league titles in five seasons between hanging up his boots aged 31 and walking off into the sunset. Some 30 years on, it remains one of the best signings of the Premier League era... if not the best, full stop.

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