Forlan: I got the boot

The Uruguayan struggled during his spell at Old Trafford, scoring just 10 goals in 63 league appearance before moving on to La Liga where he has enjoyed successful spells at both Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.

It was not Forlan's shyness in front of goal that ultimately irked Sir Alex Ferguson - but rather an incident involving his boots.

"Ferguson wanted me to play with high studs, the interchangeable ones that suit wet pitches," Forlan told the official Champions League magazine. "But I feel more comfortable in low ones.

"I agreed to change boots, but I didn't. Against Chelsea, I slipped in front of goal and wasted a chance.

"Afterwards, I rushed to the dressing room to change boots. Ferguson caught me. He grabbed the boots and threw them. That was my last game for United."

Forlan did however say that Ferguson kept in touch with him after he left the club and that the Scot even offered him advice before a Champions League game against Arsenal.

The striker also said that he could have signed for Sunderland when they were managed by Roy Keane who he developed a good relationship with at Old Trafford.

"Roy Keane's charisma, his personality on and off the pitch - he's a gentleman. In training he'd explain things in a good way - and sometimes in a bad way, because it mattered," explained Forlan.

"When he was boss at Sunderland, he called me all the time to go and play for him."