Ruud van Nistelrooy
© Getty Images
Ruud van Nistelrooy's Manchester United career got off to a false start when his proposed move in 2000 was postponed for a year due to injury, but the striker more than made up for lost time once he finally did arrive at Old Trafford.
The Dutch international scored 110 goals in his first three seasons with the club, including 44 in the title-winning campaign of 2002-03 - the highest tally in a single season since Denis Law in 1963-64 and still the second-highest scoring individual campaign in United's history.
A goal-poacher of the highest order, Van Nistelrooy ended his United career with 150 goals in just 219 appearances, giving him a better goals-per-game ratio than the likes of Law, Dennis Viollet and Wayne Rooney.
Ninety-five of those goals came in 150 Premier League appearances and the Dutchman passed the 20-goal mark in the league in four of his five seasons at Old Trafford.
When Van Nistelrooy eventually left the club to join Real Madrid in 2006 he had a Premier League title, FA Cup crown and League Cup winners' medal to his name and was United's highest goalscorer in European competition.
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Barney Corkhill
