Alex Ferguson reveals Ruud van Nistelrooy was sold after swearing at him in Manchester United dug-out
Striker had potty-mouthed reaction to not being used in League Cup Final - and also taunted Ronaldo in training
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Ruud van Nistelrooy was shown the door by Sir Alex Ferguson after directly swearing at him during the 2006 League Cup final.
Van Nistelrooy was one of Manchester United’s most prolific strikers, scoring 150 goals in five years, but found himself left out of the 4-0 win over Wigan at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
After informing Van Nistelrooy that he was staying on the bench, Ferguson revealed the Dutch striker cursed him in an episode that sealed his United exit.
Ferguson recalled: “I turned to Ruud and said ‘I’m going to give these two lads (new signings Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra) a part of the game. ’You ******’ said Van Nistelrooy. I’ll always remember that. Could not believe it.
“Carlos Queiroz turned on him. It became fractious in the dugout. Other players were telling him ‘Behave yourself’.”
Ferguson said Van Nistelrooy became an increasingly disruptive influence and deliberately kicked Cristiano Ronaldo during one training session then taunted him by saying: “What are you going to do? Complain to your daddy?”
Van Nistelrooy was referring to Ronaldo’s Portuguese compatriot, United assistant Queiroz.
But Ronaldo, whose father had recently died, took exception to the comment.
“There were quite a few altercations all the way through his final season with us, but it was mainly Van Nistelrooy on Ronaldo,” wrote Ferguson in his new book.
“The whole episode was very sad. Why Ruud changed, I don’t know. I can’t say for sure whether it was his way of getting himself out of Old Trafford.
“It was a pity because his numbers were sensational. In his last season he became a really difficult boy. I don’t think he was popular by the end. The alteration in him was dramatic.”
Van Nistelrooy, who sought a move days before the 2005 FA Cup final with Arsenal, went to Real Madrid for £25million in the summer of 2006.
Van Nistelrooy was one of Manchester United’s most prolific strikers, scoring 150 goals in five years, but found himself left out of the 4-0 win over Wigan at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
After informing Van Nistelrooy that he was staying on the bench, Ferguson revealed the Dutch striker cursed him in an episode that sealed his United exit.
Ferguson recalled: “I turned to Ruud and said ‘I’m going to give these two lads (new signings Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra) a part of the game. ’You ******’ said Van Nistelrooy. I’ll always remember that. Could not believe it.
“Carlos Queiroz turned on him. It became fractious in the dugout. Other players were telling him ‘Behave yourself’.”
Ferguson said Van Nistelrooy became an increasingly disruptive influence and deliberately kicked Cristiano Ronaldo during one training session then taunted him by saying: “What are you going to do? Complain to your daddy?”
Van Nistelrooy was referring to Ronaldo’s Portuguese compatriot, United assistant Queiroz.
But Ronaldo, whose father had recently died, took exception to the comment.
“There were quite a few altercations all the way through his final season with us, but it was mainly Van Nistelrooy on Ronaldo,” wrote Ferguson in his new book.
“The whole episode was very sad. Why Ruud changed, I don’t know. I can’t say for sure whether it was his way of getting himself out of Old Trafford.
“It was a pity because his numbers were sensational. In his last season he became a really difficult boy. I don’t think he was popular by the end. The alteration in him was dramatic.”
Van Nistelrooy, who sought a move days before the 2005 FA Cup final with Arsenal, went to Real Madrid for £25million in the summer of 2006.
Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/alex-ferguson-autobiography-ruud-van-2481012#ixzz2icfB8A3l
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