Five stars who left Man Utd under a cloud with Ronaldo set for an ugly exit from Old Trafford
Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to leave Man Utd following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan – and if he does go, he would not be the first player to exit Old Trafford in controversial circumstances.
Ronaldo’s interview with Morgan, which is set to be aired as part of the ‘Piers Uncensored’ show on TalkTV on Wednesday and Thursday, has been the talk of the sporting world.
In quotes published by The Sun, the Portugal legend claims he has felt ‘betrayed’ by some figures at the club, says he has ‘no respect’ for Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, and expressed his disappointment of what he believes to be a lack of improvement of facilities since he first departed United in 2009.
He was also critical of comments made by United legend Wayne Rooney, and questioned the club over their appointment of Ralf Rangnick.
With the full 90-minute interview set to be aired later this week, there will surely be even more bombshells. But for now, let’s take a look at five United players, in no particular order, who left Old Trafford under a cloud.
Roy Keane
Sir Alex Ferguson and Man Utd suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough in October 2005 – but there were far bigger headlines to come afterwards.
After a number of weeks had passed, the club captain had been released from his contract, and an interview from the club’s TV channel, MUTV, had been ‘destroyed’.
It is 17 years on from Roy Keane’s infamous interview, where he criticised a number of United players for their performances at the Riverside Stadium. But the footage has never been made public, with the club seeking to destroy every copy of it.
That was cited as one of the factors behind his exit, as well as a relationship breakdown with Ferguson. Keane told the Off the Ball podcast (via the Daily Mirror) that he ‘wouldn’t forgive’ Ferguson for the part he played in his departure.
It was a sad end to an incredible 12-year spell at the club.
Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria arrived at United from Real Madrid in 2014 as one of the world’s top playmakers, having recently won the Champions League and impressed at that year’s World Cup.
It all started so well at Old Trafford, with the Argentinian winning the Red Devils’ Player of the Month award for September, and scoring a sensational lob against Leicester.
But Di Maria then struggled for form throughout the rest of the season, coupled with injury problems. He left United in the summer of 2015 – just a year after arriving for a club-record fee.
After his departure, he told Marca that it was his ‘intention to stay at Real Madrid’, and ‘problems with people at the club’ and, ultimately, a break-in on his house sped up his Old Trafford exit.
Carlos Tevez
Man Utd’s signing of Carlos Tevez from West Ham was about as complex as it gets, because of the situation surrounding the player’s ownership rights by a third party.
But Ferguson’s side eventually managed to bring Tevez to Old Trafford on a two-year loan spell, during which he formed an unstoppable partnership with Ronaldo and Rooney.
However, despite his impressive displays, the Argentinian eventually opted to leave United. His advisor, Kia Joorabchian, claimed at the time (via the Daily Mail) that Tevez rejected a new five-year contract at the end of the second season of his loan.
Tevez has since claimed in an interview with Marca (via Manchester Evening News) that he was not offered a new deal by United, so he was free to leave. However, what infuriated Red Devils was his choice of his next club – Man City.
Gabriel Heinze
Gabriel Heinze was Man Utd’s first choice left-back throughout the 2004/05 season. He quickly became a fan favourite, and was named as the club’s Player of the Year.
But he suffered an injury in the following campaign, and dropped behind new signing Patrice Evra in the pecking order.
The Argentinian then decided he wanted to join Liverpool, but United blocked the transfer – with the case eventually being heard in court. Heinze did eventually leave in 2007, moving to Real Madrid.
David Beckham
David Beckham broke into Man Utd’s first team in 1995, and went on to play an integral role for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side for another eight years.
In 2003, an infamous incident occurred in United’s dressing room, with Ferguson kicking a boot that ended up striking Beckham in the eye.
His relationship with Ferguson deterioriated that season, and the boss later decided to sell one of his longest-serving players to Real Madrid, where Beckham continued to light up the footballing world both on and off the pitch.
