Where are they now? The last Arsenal side to win at Old Trafford in the PL

Nostalgia

Planet Football
1st November 2020

On September 17, 2006, Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0 in what remains the Gunners’ last Premier League victory at Old Trafford.

Emmanuel Adebayor scored the game’s only goal four minutes from time, while Gilberto Silva had a penalty saved by Tomasz Kuszczak on his United debut.

The Gunners have since won at Old Trafford in the FA Cup, but their wait to take three points away from the red half of Manchester continues.

Jens Lehmann

The German lunatic came to Arsenal’s rescue that day with a brilliant late save to stop Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from equalising, but he would leave the Gunners at the end of the following season – albeit making a brief return in 2011.

Lehmann returned to north London once again as assistant manager in 2017, only to leave after one season when Unai Emery was appointed.

The 50-year-old spent time as an assistant coach at Bundesliga side FC Augsburg in 2019 but was sacked after overseeing just three wins in three months.

READ: Jens Lehmann: The last of the maverick keepers and the maddest of the lot

Emmanuel Eboue

Often a figure of fun and hilarity, Eboue has endured a period of personal turmoil in recent years, struggling with depression after being banned from football for a year for failing to pay a former agent.

A return to football with Turkish Cypriot team Türk Ocagı Limasol was scuppered by abnormal blood test results, and he later found himself homeless following a divorce.

“Sometimes I would lock myself in my room for three or four days. Just thinking and asking ‘what’s left?’,” Eboue told RMC Sport in 2019.

“Even today, I still take antidepressants to help me because it is still a long road for me. But here I am hoping others would learn from this.”

Johan Djourou

If feels wrong that Djourou was still on Arsenal’s books until 2014 before permanent spells at Hamburg, Antalyaspor and SPAL.

The centre-back was released by Sion in 2020 after refusing to take a pay cut and currently plays for Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland.

Kolo Toure

The man, the myth, the legend. In 2017, Toure called time on a career which involved slide tackling Arsene Wenger and pretending to be a car salesman named Francois during an affair.

Since then, the two-time Invincible has coached Ivory Coast’s Under-23 side and joined Leicester City as part of Brendan Rodgers’ coaching staff.

READ: A celebration of Kolo Touré: Likeable, hilarious, and also very, very good

William Gallas

A difficult character, shall we say, since retiring after a short spell with Perth Glory in 2013, Gallas has made a nice habit of making entertaining and controversial comments in a host of media appearances.

He recently joked that he used to “s*** himself” when facing Chelsea’s Didier Drogba. We’ve still not forgiven him for wearing the No.10.

Tomas Rosicky

“If you love football, you love Tomas Rosicky,” Arsene Wenger famously said of the Czech midfielder.

It is now three years since Rosicky retired as a professional footballer following a spell back at Sparta Prague, and we still miss him.

READ: Tomáš Rosický, Arsenal’s big-game hero who could have been even more

Freddie Ljungberg

Ljungberg returned to Arsenal in 2013 as an ambassador before becoming youth coach two years later.

After a brief spell as assistant manager at Wolfsburg, the former Sweden international was appointed Under-23 coach at the Gunners.

He took charge of Arsenal for six games as their interim head coach in 2019 and was retained by Mikel Arteta before leaving the club in 2020.

Sadly he doesn’t have the red hair anymore.

READ: Freddie Ljungberg: A ‘colourful’ player whose influence continues to be felt

Gilberto Silva

One of the most underrated members of Arsenal’s Invincibles and a player the Gunners have struggled to replace since he left in 2008.

“I think it’s been quite painful for the team not to have stability in this position,” the midfielder told us in 2020. “They are paying a high price, but I hope at some point they find somebody who can fill the gap.”

Since retiring, he has helped set up a players’ union in Brazil and also had a giant anteater, Gilberto, named in his honour at London Zoo, which means he is now our favourite footballer.

READ: Gilberto Silva discusses career highs and Arsenal’s failure to replace him

Cesc Fabregas

Disappeared into obscurity.

Alexander Hleb

Hleb decided to hang us his boots in 2019 and still regrets the day he left Arsenal, telling us he cried over his decision to join Barcelona.

READ: Alexander Hleb: I cried over Arsenal exit; most players regret leaving

Emmanuel Adebayor

Arsenal’s hero at Old Trafford, it’s safe to say Adebayor is no longer a favourite in north London.

In January 2018, Adebayor – who infamously clashed with Gunners’ players and fans at Manchester City and Tottenham – branded Arsene Wenger “fake” and admitted he has a “hate” for Arsenal.

After spells at Crystal Palace, Istanbul Basaksehir and Kayserispor, the striker joined Paraguayan club Olimpia Asuncion in 2020.