Man Utd flop massively regrets leaving for Premier League rival, admits he 'should have stayed'

A former Manchester United player has admitted that he regrets leaving the Old Trafford.

As one of the biggest and most successful clubs in world football, United often attract some of the best players to the Theatre of Dreams.

However, despite playing for United, some big names have left Old Trafford for a rival team.

One of those players was Juan Sebastian Veron, who left United for Chelsea back in 2003.

During his two-year stay with the Red Devils, Veron scored 11 goals in 82 appearances and also won the Premier League.

The Argentine was signed for a huge £28.1 million, speaking about his signing, then-United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: “I never thought I'd spend this much money on a footballer.

“I think he's coming into great years of his career and he will peak and we'll get the benefit of that. He is a world-class, fantastic footballer with a vision of a game we can use.”

Speaking in 2019, Veron admitted that he regrets leaving United for Chelsea.

As per the Daily Star, he said: “At Chelsea, the reality is that I had very little time. I had a major back injury and I was out for practically six months. I was already thinking more about going back to Italy than staying there in England.

“With United, the truth is that there are few things, very few, that I regret. But one is to have left Manchester. They never pushed me or told me 'You have to go' but they gave me the chance, the possibility. I had talks with my former colleagues at that time telling me that I had to stay. And at one moment I decided to leave because I wanted to play, because I didn't know... I should have stayed.”

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Veron spoke positively about Ferguson back in 2021, the Argentine said: “He was so demanding with everybody. If you couldn't keep up, it was clear you would have to look elsewhere. He was always forthright with me, but he had my back from day one, which was very much appreciated.

“At some points, I wasn't able to give him everything he expected from me consistently. He got it in a few matches but not in others, and if you want to be a great player, your game has to be stable. I couldn't deliver it at Old Trafford.”

Topics: Manchester United, Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson, Football

Marcus Chan

@MarcusChan2