'I'm not proud of what I said to Man Utd boss in blind rage - it was harsh and ruthless'

· Mirror

This ex-Manchester United idol opened up on his contentious departure from Old Trafford

Manchester United hero Ruud van Nistelrooy said he harbours regret at how he left the club after he hit out at Sir Alex Ferguson in a "blind rage." The Dutch striker scored 150 goals for United after joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2001.

He departed Old Trafford for Real Madrid in July 2006 under a cloud after falling out with the legendary United boss. Van Nistelrooy has since moved into management, taking charge of United on an interim basis in 2024, and was rumoured to have been considered for the caretaker job again after Ruben Amorim was sacked in January.

He is now the assistant coach of the Netherlands national team, with his nation playing Serbia in the Nations League on Sunday evening. However, before he ventured into the dugout, the forward was known as one of the deadliest marksmen in the Premier League.

Despite being United's primary goalscorer, Sir Alex famously left Van Nistelrooy as an unused substitute for United's 4-0 win over Wigan in the 2006 League Cup final.

The Dutch forward remained a substitute for United's next six Premier League games before returning to the starting XI for wins against West Ham and Bolton. However, after he was informed he would not be involved against Charlton for the final game of the season, he stormed out of Old Trafford three hours before kick-off.

Ferguson then accused Van Nistelrooy of undermining team morale. The Dutchman, speaking in 2019, revealed that he regrets how his time at Old Trafford ended.

> "It was very harsh, both ways," he told Eleven Sports. "Especially after five years of having such a strong bond. I learned so much from him, and in all modesty: he from me too. And yet the end was ruthless."

Quizzed on whether he had repaired his relationship with the iconic Scot, Van Nistelrooy revealed that he had made the first contact after his departure.

> He added: "It was me who took the first step to make it okay again. I called him. A few times a year I felt bad about what I had done to him and the names I called him when he kept me on the bench the entire match in the League Cup final in Cardiff. In a blind rage I shouted at him.

> "I called him something. I called him a number of things in a blind rage. Cocky and stubborn as I was, I couldn't snap out of that for some time after. That's how it all crashed.

> "It was just really disrespectful, there were lots of other people there. It wasn't all that outrageous in terms of words but it was completely out of order. Not done. I wasn't proud of it, still am not."

Time healed all wounds, however. After spells with Real, Hamburg and Malaga, he retired in 2012 and turned to management with PSV. He then joined United as assistant manager under former boss Erik ten Hag in 2024.

He became interim head coach when Ten Hag was sacked. He won all four games in charge before being replaced by Amorim. A less-than-stellar time in charge of Leicester City followed before he made his way to the Dutch national side.

> "Ruud is and always will be a Manchester United legend," a United statement said after he departed the club as assistant and interim coach. "We are grateful for his contribution and the way in which he approached his role throughout his time with the club. He will always be very welcome at Old Trafford."

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