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Leeds vs Man Utd: Rivals last met in 2003, but where are those players now?

  /  autty

It's been a very long time coming, but Manchester United finally make their much-anticipated Premier League return to Elland Road this weekend to take on Leeds.

The last time the two fierce rivals faced off at the ground in the top-flight was back in 2003, when a late header from captain Roy Keane handed United victory against the resilient hosts to temporarily send them top.

A lot has changed in the 18 years that have followed. Keane, now a pundit, may very well find himself back in Yorkshire to deliver his assessment of the game - and a host of other players involved on that day have also headed down very different paths.

Here, Sportsmail takes a look back at the two teams and discovers where each of the stars can be found today...

LEEDS

Paul Robinson - Having retired in July 2017, Robinson is now a pundit. His career saw him also play for Tottenham, Blackburn, Burnley and internationally for England. The 41-year-old was helpless to prevent Keane's effort from finding the net in 2003.

Gary Kelly - Kelly was a one-club man and chose to hang up his boots in 2007, aged just 32. After stepping back from the game, he donated €750,000 (£651,131) from his testimonial to open the Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre after his sister tragically died from the disease. He now owns and operates the GK Gym in Drogheda.

Zoumana Camara - Despite his spell at Leeds being brief, Camara caught the eye at centre back. After retiring, Camara worked for Paris Saint-Germain as an assistant manager under three different coaches, but left in January. He is set to return to take up a youth team coaching role for next season.

Dominic Matteo - Matteo took up several broadcasting roles after his retirement and has also worked as a commentator for LFC TV. In 2011, he published an autobiography in which he reflected on his gambling debts, which totalled over £1million, in his career. Matteo underwent an operation on a brain tumour after being taken ill in November 2019, but was given the all-clear last April.

Salomon Olembe - Following a loan spell with struggling Leeds in the 2003-04 season, the nomadic Olembe went on to a host of other clubs around the world before retiring. He now operates as Team Manager for the Cameroon national team, having gone into business after rounding off his career.

Jermaine Pennant - After representing the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, Pennant retired in August 2019 with a lofty reputation. This stardom saw him feature several times on television. In 2018, it was revealed he signed up for Celebrity Big Brother, with Pennant evicted on September 4 after a controversial stay. More recently, he was named as part of the line-up for Ex On The Beach.

David Batty - Leeds legend Batty retired in 2004 after a second spell at Elland Road and won the First Division title in 1992. He has since kept a low-profile with his playing days over. Batty made an appearance in 'The Match', a charity game shown on Sky Sports, in 2006 and now enjoys a quiet life with his family in Yorkshire.

Seth Johnson - Former England international Johnson struggled to live up to the hype due to a string of injuries and subsequently retired at the age of 28 due to a knee injury. He has done a string of interviews, with many tackling the rumours over his contract talks with Leeds, and also works with Play With A Legend.

James Milner - Current Liverpool veteran Milner was just 17 at Elland Road all those years ago, but went on to represent Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City before ending up at Anfield. He continues to play a key role at the club as they push for a top four finish this season.

Mark Viduka - After his retirement, Viduka completed his coaching badges and returned to his homeland, Australia. With opportunities to get into the game via the dugout limited, however, Viduka then relocated to Croatia. There, he currently owns and runs a cafe named 'No Higher Point' with his wife.

Alan Smith - Smith is another former Leeds player to have largely kept to himself following his decision to hang up his boots. He works as a coach at the XL Soccer World Academy in Orlando, Florida and lives permanently there.

Substitutes:

Aaron Lennon - Currently playing for Kayserispor in Turkey, aged 34.

Michael Bridges - Bridges obtained his coaching badges in 2016 and was appointed as head coach of semi-professional outfit Edgeworth Eagles on a part-time basis last November.

Lamine Sakho - Former Leeds star Sakho has enjoyed a quiet life away from the limelight after retiring.

Roque Junior - After his ten-year stint presenting the Brazilian version of 'Total Recall' ended in 2015, Junior enjoyed two coaching spells and has since kept to himself.

Scott Carson - Manchester City stopper Carson remains involved in football at the Etihad at the age of 35.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Tim Howard - Former USA international goalkeeper Tim Howard, 42, is still playing. He represents USL Championship club Memphis 901 FC, and is also a minority owner of the club and their sporting director. Howard operates as an international ambassador for Everton.

Gary Neville - A renowned Sky Sports pundit, Neville has enjoyed plenty of success on the screen after retiring. Alongside members of the Class of 92, the esteemed right back is a co-owner of League Two outfit Salford.

Rio Ferdinand - Whilst still playing, Ferdinand immersed himself into punditry with the BBC for the 2014 World Cup. After impressing, Ferdinand also gave his opinions on Euro 2016 - and was quickly signed up by BT Sport. He has remained there over the last few years, featuring heavily in their coverage in a senior capacity.

Mikel Silvestre - After retiring, Silvestre has worked with Stade Rennais, another of his former clubs, but departed in 2016. The Frenchman has also been involved with charity work, and is the president of a charity which works with disadvantaged children. Silvestre passed his UEFA A Licence but is yet to go into coaching.

Quinton Fortune - Fortune opted to move into coaching after retirement, moving back to United to help train the reserve team whilst taking his badges. He became assistant coach of the club's Under-23s in 2019, and now works for Reading as a first-team coach under Veljko Paunovic.

Darren Fletcher - Fletcher is another former United player to have taken up coaching after hanging up his boots. The Scotland international worked with the club's Under-16s in October 2020, but quickly found himself promoted to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-team coaching staff. Now, he operates as a technical director and occasionally can be found on punditry duty.

Roy Keane - The notorious United hard man has shared his withering opinions around the world of football on television to great success in recent seasons. Keane's hot-headed rants, as well as regular disagreements with his colleagues, have made for great entertainment during Sky Sports' Premier League coverage on weekends.

Phil Neville - In 2018, Neville took charge of the England women's team and steered them to relative success across multiple tournaments, including at the World Cup in 2019. His tenure soured, however, with the younger brother of Gary then stepping down and taking charge of Inter Miami in MLS. He is also a co-owner of Salford City.

Cristiano Ronaldo - The evergreen Ronaldo has continued to enjoy a stellar career at the top level of the game, defying his advancing age in the process. As a result of his superhuman fitness, the now 36-year-old remains Juventus' talisman and captains Portugal on the international stage.

Paul Scholes - Legendary former midfielder Scholes' most recent foray into management came in October last year with Salford City. He has since returned to punditry, however, having left his caretaker role after five games. Scholes is a regular face during BT Sport's coverage of the Champions League and Europa League.

Ruud van Nistelrooy - Despite having brought his career to an end just a year before, Van Nistelrooy became an assistant coach under Guus Hiddink at the 2014 World Cup. From there, the iconic former ace has remained in various coaching capacities. He is the manager of PSV Eindhoven's Under-19s and was also been called in to assist Ronald Koeman.

Substitutes:

Roy Carroll - Carroll, 43, made his return to Irish League action with Dungannon Swifts earlier this year and remains playing at that level.

Eric Djemba-Djemba - Notorious United flop Djemba-Djemba's most recent club is FC Vallorbe-Ballaigues in Switzerland's fifth tier.

John O'Shea - The versatile O'Shea took up coaching directly after retiring and currently works with Reading's first-team.

Diego Forlan - Former United striker Forlan was appointed as the manager of second-tier club Atenas in Uruguay last month.

Nicky Butt - Butt departed as United's head of first-team development in March with the club reshuffling its backroom staff.