Heinze regrets United bad blood
Gabriel Heinze
Gabriel Heinze regrets the acrimonious manner of his departure from Manchester United.
The Argentina full-back spent three years at Old Trafford, during which time he won a Premier League and became a crowd favourite amongst the Red Devils faithful for his no-nonsense tackling. In 2007, Heinze demanded to join Liverpool, something totally unpalatable to Sir Alex Ferguson, and eventually joined Real Madrid instead.
Heinze said: "I regret it a lot, especially the last three months. I am a strong person and so is Alex Ferguson. I took the decision I did and I regret it, especially for the fans and I hope it has not tarnished me with them."
He added: "I don't really want to talk about what happened four years ago, maybe some day I will tell the whole story.
"But I knew the risks and was aware of what being at a club like Liverpool would mean."
Heinze has met Ferguson just once since, a brief encounter in Qatar when Argentina met Brazil in a friendly.
"I was really happy to see him," said Heinze.
"When I was at Manchester United, Ferguson impressed me a lot. He gave me a winning culture.
"I had three wonderful years there. It is a great club and it is not so very different now from four years ago.
"It is the same coach. He is the one who sends the message that it is always to win. The players may change but the philosophy stays the same."
