Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed that a four-letter blast at Sir
Alex Ferguson during the Carling Cup final was the final nail in
his coffin at Manchester United.
The prolific Dutch forward left Old Trafford under a cloud in the
summer when his extremely productive spell under Ferguson was
brought to an end with a transfer to Real Madrid.
The two experienced a dramatic falling out which resulted in Louis
Saha taking van Nistelrooy's first-team place, and the Real new-boy
has now explained that his outburst during the 4-0 cup final win
over Wigan sealed his departure.
"It started at the Carling Cup final, after an hour we were 4-0
ahead," van Nistelrooy told the News of the World.
"I could not wait to get on as a substitute, to play half an hour
and maybe score a goal and then go and lift the cup.
"It's a big trophy after all, but first Kieran Richardson was put
on.
"After that Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, and Evra had only been
at the club a few weeks.
"I exploded and started swearing at Ferguson. That was the killing
moment.
"It was both our faults but we never made up after that. The
relationship fell apart."
Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in 219 games for United after the
Premiership side stood by him to delay his signing from PSV
Eindhoven for a year due to a serious knee injury.
Once the darling of Old Trafford, van Nistelrooy has now conceded
that the manner of his eventual exit was 'tragic' as well as
insisting that Ferguson should have treated him better.
"I do consider it kind of tragic," van Nistelrooy added.
"After all, Ferguson was the man who was there for me during my
serious knee injury at PSV Eindhoven and even came to my sick
bed.
"The way it all went down in the end does say something about the
football world.
"But to me that does not permit you to treat people that way."
