Tom Heaton once left Sir Alex Ferguson seething after telling the legendary Manchester United manager he would not be signing a new contract.
The former England international sealed his free transfer switch on Friday some 11 years after the academy graduate left the Red Devils as a budding goalkeeper.
The stopper will be relishing being handed the chance to return to his boyhood club, but the veteran may need to clear the air with legendary boss Ferguson, who is now an ambassador at the club.
Heaton left the Scot gobsmacked when informing him of his desire to leave in 2010, despite being offered a new contract by the Red Devils, and he has admitted Ferguson was not impressed with his decision.
“It was, how do you say, an interesting moment,” he told The Daily Star in 2019 about his conversation.
“I understood his point of view. I’d been there since I was a kid. He was offering me a new contract and I was turning it down.
“He wasn’t best pleased! So, I was on the end of it a bit.
"I totally understood it because they had invested a lot of time in me.
“But I knew what was right for me. It was a risk, but it was one I wanted to take.
“I walked out of his office with my tail between my legs.
“It needed to be done. It was the right decision. I knew that and I never wavered from it.”
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The goalkeeper had spells at Cardiff City and Bristol City before settling at Burnley, where he was their number one for the majority of his six-year spell with the Clarets.
Heaton suffered a serious knee injury in 2016 which allowed Nick Pope to take the number one jersey and he moved to Aston Villa two years ago to search for regular football.
But the 35-year-old found his first-team opportunities limited following the £20m signing of Emiliano Martinez last summer from Arsenal.
Heaton has been drafted in after United opted to release Sergio Romero and Lee Grant following the expiry of their respective contracts.
He could be set for more game time than originally thought, however, if De Gea departs this summer.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a decision over which goalkeeper will be his first-choice man in between the sticks for the new Premier League season on August 14.
And it is believed De Gea will request to leave the club if Henderson, 24, is chosen as Solskjaer’s favoured no.1.
Heaton has spoke of his excitement in heading back to Old Trafford after signing a two-year contract to provide cover to Dean Henderson and David de Gea.
"For me to have the opportunity to come back after spending 13 great years here as a kid, it’s an incredible feeling and I’m really, really excited to get started,” he told Manchester United’s official website.
“I’m just seeing it as a fantastic opportunity as I still feel I’ve got an awful lot to give and I’ve got the bit between my teeth.
“I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running. I feel in great shape and I’m looking forward to coming in to compete with the other goalkeepers."
