Very few players have made the direct switch from Manchester United to Manchester City (Image: Getty Images)
The football world is often surprised when a player leaves Manchester United to join Manchester City, or vice versa. While several players such as Peter Schmeichel, Owen Hargreaves and Brian Kidd have worn both shirts, direct transfers are rare.
Manchester United fans were shocked when Denis Law and Carlos Tevez immediately swapped their red shirts for the sky blue of City. But in 2012, a young defender by the name of Frederic Veseli took the rivalry to another level.
After three years at the Etihad and with his contract coming to an end, Veseli was eager to prove himself in the Premier League and was looking to leave Manchester City. Roberto Mancini, keen to keep the promising talent, attempted to negotiate a new contract that would include loan options for Veseli to gain experience.
The situation came to light in 2022 during an interview with The Athletic, where Veseli recounted (as reported by the MEN): “We could never agree terms. Mancini was asking me all the time what was going on. I kept playing. I played against United reserves who had Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager. United had a lot of first-team players, we only had reserves and we drew 1-1. Fergie was there to watch. I had a very good game.”
Veseli's impressive performance caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, but it was a chance meeting in a pub that got things moving. The defender bumped into Manchester United assistant Rene Meulensteen as he was picking up his girlfriend from her home, and their conversation quickly turned to football and Veseli's situation at City, the Mirror reports.
Brian Marwood, then a club administrator, had made it clear that young players who were unhappy with the club could leave rather than disrupt the team's harmony. Veseli revealed: “Mancini was disappointed and kept asking me to renew. I didn't know what to say to him. My contract was up and City released me and signed a paper saying I could leave for free.”
Frederic Veseli joined Manchester United in 2012 (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
“The next day I went to City’s training ground in Carrington to collect my things. I didn’t tell anyone what I was going to do next. I told the manager I was leaving the club and he asked me where I was going. I said ‘United’. He didn’t believe it but he had to train. He wished me luck.”
Manchester United officially announced the signing of Veseli on transfer deadline day, with the youngster expressing his excitement: “I'm very happy and it's an honour to sign for Manchester United. I can't wait to get started, work hard and do everything I can to help the team. I can't wait to show everyone what I can do on the pitch.”
“I'm very grateful to Sir Alex Ferguson for bringing me to such a great club. Manchester United have a long history of young players coming through and I hope I can follow suit and do the same.” Unfortunately for Veseli, his time at Old Trafford didn't live up to expectations.
He moved to Ipswich without playing a single senior game for United before ending up at Port Vale (Image: Coventry Telegraph)
His time with the Red Devils saw him make just 23 appearances for the reserves and U21s between 2012 and 2013. He was subsequently transferred to Ipswich Town, where he continued to struggle to break into the first team. Loans to Bury and Port Vale then followed.
The move to Port Vale was made permanent in 2015, leading to spells at Lugano, Empoli, Salernitana, Benevento and Faith Karagumruk. Now, at 31, Veseli finds himself without a club, reflecting on what might have been after great hopes were dashed after Manchester United.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1952140/Manchester-City-United-Frederic-Veseli-Transfer-Window-Premier-League