Furious Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed
the Old Trafford outfit will not let Liverpool 'get off' with any
dishonourable conduct in the Gabriel Heinze affair. Although
Ferguson did not use the words 'tapping up', when he was asked
whether United felt that is what had happened, he replied: "We will
see."
Chief among United's concerns is how solicitor Richard Green, who
advises Liverpool on much of their legal work, came to be acting
for Heinze in his attempt to prove a letter - signed by Gill and
stating a fee which would be acceptable for the player - was an
agreement to sell.
A three-man Premier League tribunal rejected the claim on Tuesday
but, with Liverpool supposedly having no direct involvement in the
case, United want to know how Heinze secured Green's services given
the 29-year-old still had two years of his Red Devils contract to
run.
United's unhappiness with Liverpool has only increased following
Rafael Benitez's outburst in which the Reds coach, while stressing
his amazement at the Premier League's ruling, effectively claimed
the Red Devils enjoyed preferential treatment, not just over Heinze
but also in the drafting of fixtures and the 'smooth' move of
Carlos Tevez from West Ham compared to the deal which saw Javier
Mascherano join Liverpool in January.
It was rant which smacked of sour grapes and could yet land Benitez
in hot water with the Premier League. "What Rafa said is a bit
churlish," declared Ferguson. "He obviously did not study the
Premier League rules because he had no chance of winning the case.
"But we are looking at Liverpool's whole role in this.
"David Gill is working on it at the moment. We will get to the
bottom of it and see what comes out because we are not letting them
off with it. "I am really disappointed with Rafa. "As for Carlos
Tevez, it took about three months."
