The Premier League’s Top Five Best Ever Dutch Players

David Tully

4 years ago

Categories: Galleries, Manchester United News

Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Dennis Bergkamp, Edwin van der Sar, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Robin van Persie, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Sheffield United, Southampton, Spurs, Virgil van Dijk, West Ham, Wolves

Some truly great Dutchman have played for Manchester United in the Premier League, and it would have been easy to make up the whole list from players who once graced the turf at Old Trafford.

However, there are certainly some standout names from other clubs who are also deserving of a mention, and this top five will try to balance out a number of factors in terms of their importance to the teams they played for.

All of those featured on the list certainly merit their inclusion, based on their performances and the trophies they have won during their respective careers.

Press the next page as we countdown our five best ever Dutch players in Premier League history.

5) Virgil van Dijk (Southampton and Liverpool)

We could have easily put Jaap Stam on this list. After all, the Dutchman did win the famous treble during his first season at Manchester United but van Dijk’s impact on his team, in general, was more significant.

Liverpool would not have managed to win the Champions League and the Premier League in successive seasons without him. You also have to factor in that he won the PFA Player of the Year and came close to winning Ballon d’Or; no mean feat for a centre-half.

4) Edwin van der Sar (Fulham and Manchester United)

United struggled for many years to replace Peter Schmeichel and it was only when Sir Alex Ferguson opted to sign van der Sar from Fulham for just £2m in 2005 did he find a fitting replacement for the Great Dane.

The Dutchman won ten major honours in his six years at Old Trafford, being named in the PFA Team of the Year on three occasions, as well as winning the Golden Glove for the most clean sheets in 2009.

3) Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)

The Dutch poacher’s record at United, 95 league goals in 150 appearances, kind of sums up how lethal he was in front of goal during his five years in England.

Van Nistelrooy wasn’t blessed with a great deal of pace and wasn’t the most imposing presence in the air, but he was always in the right price at the right time to finish a team move. It was a shame when he opted to leave for Real Madrid in 2006.

2) Robin van Persie (Arsenal and Manchester United)

For United supporters, the Dutchman will be best remembered for scoring 26 league goals as United won their 20th top division title in 2013, but the bulk of his time in England was spent at Arsenal.

During his spells at both clubs, he racked up 144 league goals, the most of any player from the Netherlands in the Premier League. He is also third on the list in terms of assists, having created 53 goals.

1) Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)

Despite the number of Dutch players who played for United, it would be hard to deny Bergkamp top spot on this list. The Gunners legend was an all-round brilliant footballer, who was capable of extraordinary skill as well as having the footballing intelligence to match.

Bergkamp made 315 league appearances during his time with Arsenal, who paid £2.5million for the player in 1996. It was certainly money well spent.