The clash between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford has always been an important clash to watch out for in the Premier League.
One of the most intense games between these two teams happened on September 21, 2003, at Old Trafford, when Arsenal were on the verge of losing the game against Manchester United during the invincible season.
Manchester United attacker Ruud Van Nistelrooy missed a penalty, which could have ended Arsenal’s unbeaten season.
Patrick Viera was also sent off for kicking Van Nistelrooy in the game. But there was no goal at the end of the game.
The main focus of this article is on the squad that played on September 21, 2003, and their present occupation.
Manchester United Squad
Tim Howard
The former American goalkeeper Howard currently works with NBC News as a Premier League pundit. He is also a columnist for the Mail Sport.
In addition, the former Everton goalkeeper is the sporting director of the second-division US club Memphis 901.
Gary Neville
He is a well-known pundit for Sky Sports News and ITV. Neville is one of the anchors of Overlap YouTube Show and has appeared on Dragon Den.
Neville is a co-owner of League Two side Salford City. Also, he has business interests and investments in Manchester.
Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand works as a pundit with TNT Sports for both Champions League and Premier League coverage. In addition, he has his own YouTube channel, known as FIVE.
Mikael Silvestre
The former Manchester United defender Silverstre runs a sports agency named Talent Lyfe, which helps various youth athletes.
He also runs a private company that focuses on providing special ingredients for the people of Guadeloupe.
John O’Shea
O’Shea is currently serving as Northern Ireland interim manager. He was in charge of the national team in the friendly matches against Brazil and Switzerland.
He was previously the assistant to Stephen Kenny. In addition, he worked for Wayne Rooney while he was at Birmingham City.
Phil Neville
The younger Neville is now the manager of MLS Club Portland Timber. He is also a co-owner of Salfrod City.
Roy Keane
He is a well-recognized pundit who works for different sports platforms all over the world.
Quintone Fortune
Fortune was the assistant manager of a Mexican club named Guadalajara and previously worked with Manchester United U-23.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner now plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Arabia Pro League. Despite being 39, he is having an impressive season with the Middle East club, Al Nassr.
Ryan Giggs
The Manchester United icon was the manager of the Wales national team when he was forced to step down due to his assault trial. He is currently on a speaking tour all over the world.
Rudd Van Nistelrooy
One of the greatest Manchester United strikers of all time was previously in charge of Dutch side PSV. Currently, he is unemployed as he resigned before the end of last season.
Gunners Squad
Jens Lehmann
The former German goalkeeper is currently working as a TV pundit, with his base primarily in Germany.
Lauren
The former Cameroon defender was seen at a La Liga TV coverage for a top-flight match in the league. In addition, the defender is currently a FIFA technical advisor.
Martin Keown
The former Arsenal defender played a significant role in emotionally destroying Van Nistelrooy after he missed the penalty against Arsenal.
He is now a well-known TV and newspaper pundit.
Kolo Toure
The Ivorian, who was the powerhouse Arsenal defender when they played Manchester United in 2003, previously managed Wigan Athletic from 2022–23, where he failed to win any of his name games in charge.
Ashley Cole
In March 2024, the left-back was inducted into the Premier League hall of fame. He was Lee Carsely’s assistant manager, who led England to the U-21 European title in 2023.
He was also the assistant manager for Wayne Rooney during his regime at Birmingham City before he was sacked.
Ray Parlour
He is currently a pundit for TalkSports and other sports outlets. He is very famous on social media for his attitude relating to drinking Cobra Bomb and other alcoholic drinks.
Patrick Viera
The former Arsenal player who was red-carded in the 2003 encounter between Manchester United and Arsenal.
He is a well-recognized manager in Europe, and he is currently managing Strasbourg. The French side Viera is managing is currently in 13th place on the Ligue 1 table.
Gilberto Silva
He previously worked as a talking head on the BBC 2022 FIFA World Cup coverage. He remains the ambassador for Arsenal football club and FIFA.
Freddie Ljungberg
He was the Arsenal interim manager between Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta in 2019 before he decided to leave the club. He had been noticed interviewing football greats all over the world.
Dennis Bergkamp
After his retirement, the Dutchman was made the assistant manager of his first football club, Ajax, for six years before leaving in 2017.
It was revealed that the former Arsenal star is looking forward to buying an English club in League One or two, alongside Dirk Kuyt and Henrik Larsson.
Thierry Henry
He is currently a pundit of CBS Sports Champions League coverage and has appeared for Amazon Prime Sport Video on their Premier League matches.
He is the manager of the France U-21 team and will also take the country’s U-23 team to the Olympics.
