{"id":1139443,"date":"2020-04-10T11:29:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T10:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1139443"},"modified":"2020-04-11T11:45:18","modified_gmt":"2020-04-11T10:45:18","slug":"anderlecht-best-former-players","status":"publish","type":"cult-corner","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/cult-corner\/anderlecht-best-former-players\/","title":{"rendered":"The Anderlecht talent factory’s influence on the Premier League is enormous"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anderlecht have produced a serious array of football talent over the years, with some big names being poached from their academy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The likes of Dries Mertens, Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj were all on the books at Anderlecht but would not see first-team action, moving to Gent, Mons and Manchester United respectively.<\/p>\n

But those who had made first-team appearances were no different, with clubs from around Europe constantly circling the Belgian side like vultures, ready to pick up on any success.<\/p>\n

Had Anderlecht not cashed in on a number of their promising players, they might be more than just Champions League group stage cannon fodder, not reaching the knockout rounds of Europe’s premier competition since groups were added to the format.<\/p>\n

So, with that in mind, here’s how Anderlecht could have lined up if they hadn’t sold some of their star players — not including the aforementioned academy trio.<\/p>\n