Juan Sebastian Veron says that his failure to deliver consistently was the cause of his failure at Manchester United.
The Argentine arrived at Old Trafford in 2001 with high expectations. He was the most expensive footballer in English football at the time.
Renowned as one of the best midfielders in Europe at the time, Veron struggled to adapt to English football, and while he won one Premier League title during his time with United, he left two years later as a relative disappointment considering his fee and reputation.
And when asked why his time at the club did not work out, Veron has now admitted that he failed to meet Sir Alex Ferguson's expectations on a consistent basis.
"He [Sir Alex Ferguson] was so demanding with everybody. If you couldn’t keep up, it was clear you would have to look elsewhere," he told FourFourTwo.
"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."
Ferguson famously backed Veron to the hilt. He said at the time that the midfielder was a "f****** great player". Veron admitted that he appreciated Ferguson's support of his talent.
Across his two years with the club, Veron played 82 times. He scored 11 goals but won just the one trophy in a campaign in which the dominant midfield pairing was Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.
With Ryan Giggs and David Beckham either side of the pair, Veron admitted that the established nature of the midfield made it difficult for him to make an impact on an already cohesive unit.
"We had Nicky Butt as well," he said when asked if Gary Neville's suggestion that the midfield unit at the time was a factor in his inability to make an impact.
"That midfield was magnificent, with guys who had known each other very well for a long period – they played almost by memory. Maybe there just wasn’t room for me to show what I had that was so different. With or without me, that midfield was pretty good!"
In 2003, United sold Veron to Chelsea for £15 million, a little over half of what they paid two years prior.
But in proof of his ability, Veron won five league titles in his career, was named the Argentina Player of the Year on two occasions, and won the UEFA Cup with Parma in 1999.
It is shame, then, that his talent never translated into performances at Old Trafford.
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