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Top 25 Manchester United players of the Premier League era - #15

Sports Mole's countdown of the top 25 Manchester United players in Premier League history continues with number 15 - Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud Van Nistelrooy celebrates scoring during the match between Manchester United and Southampton on December 22, 2001© 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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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


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