MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota United’s list of six previous MLS-era players brought in on loan would make for good trivia questions.

Who was the Loons’ first goalkeeper in MLS? John Alvbage.

Who was the Danish winger who didn’t score in his 11 games before his loan was terminated months early? Bashkim Kadrii.

Who were the two loaners who made only one appearance each with Minnesota? Jose Leiton and Brandon Allen.

Who was the Brazilian defensive midfielder who changed his name while in Minnesota and was limited by a knee injury? Maximiano, also known as Luiz Fernando.

Who was the Peruvian midfielder who played in 18 games — more than any other Loon loanee — but never scored, much less had many shots on goal? Alexi Gomez.

The Loons looked to distance themselves from this lackluster list with the Sunday, Feb. 10, announced addition of Italian goalkeeper, Vito Mannone, who arrives on a one-season loan from Reading FC, a club struggling in England’s second division.

The Loons’ failure to hit on a successful loan hasn’t been catastrophic because of the short-term nature of the deals — from six to 12 or 18 months — and most of these additions weren’t expected to be role players, much less headliners. Realizing a player isn’t going to work out without long-term ramifications can been a blessing. Other times (see: Maximiano), the terms of the purchase option don’t work out with the club on the other side.

But Mannone is expected to make a difference in Minnesota. His contract used Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), meaning he is one of the more-expensive players on the Loons’ budget for 2019, and the club believes Mannone’s wealth of experience will help snap its MLS-worst mark of 141 goals allowed over two consecutive season.

Mannone, 30, has played at the heights of world soccer during his time at Arsenal, one of the “big six” clubs in the English Premier League.

At age 17, Mannone arrived the north London club on the heels of their “Invincibles” team in 2003-04, one of the greatest Premier League teams ever, featuring Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

“Great experience,” Mannone said. “I always dreamt as a kid to join a big club like Arsenal and when I did it was incredible. … My legs were shaking the first few days, but then I got on with it as a job. I learned from the best.”