Sir Alex Ferguson stunned by ex-Man Utd star's text after feud - "He left four years ago"

Few Manchester United players fell foul of Sir Alex Ferguson and remained at the club to tell the tale.

David Beckham, Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke, the legendary Scot had little regard for previous achievements in a red shirt if he felt a player had crossed the line. But time can also be a healer and one of his most famous spats, with prolific striker Ruud van Nistlelrooy, was seemingly settled by a random text message some four years after the Dutchman left for Real Madrid.

The striker scored 150 goals in 219 appearances after signing for Ferguson in 2001, justifying the manager's decision to stay patient after the transfer was initially scuppered by a serious knee injury to the forward. His goals would prove pivotal in helping the club land a Premier League title, FA Cup, and League Cup during his five-year stay.

But he would leave for the Bernabeu in the summer of 2006 on a sour note. Van Nistelrooy's final season in England would be tainted by clashes with youngsters Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo, and he infamously refused to join in the post-match celebrations after being an unused sub in the League Cup final win over Wigan.

Things would deteriorate further before the season was out, storming out of Old Trafford after not being selected for a home Premier League clash with Charlton. It was therefore of little surprise that he and Ferguson had zero contact for the four years that followed Van Nistelrooy heading to Spain.

But on a freezing January night in 2010, Ferguson received a shock text message from his former player that read, "I don't know whether you remember me. But I need to call you." A bemused Sir Alex pointed out to wife Cathy that four years had passed since their last contact, to which she replied: "Maybe he'd like to come back to United?"

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Regardless, the 82-year-old replied "ok" and the phone soon rang. Wrongly assuming the striker wanted help in getting a move back to England, Ferguson was pleasantly surprised to hear the words "I want to apologise for my behaviour in my last year at United." It paved the way for the pair to make peace.

Ferguson would later credit Van Nistelrooy for maturing and making the call, although he would subsequently join Hamburger SV in Germany as opposed to another English club: "Mulling over Ruud's call to me, that winter night, I knew that two or three Premier League clubs were looking at him, but couldn't see that being a reason for him wanting to speak to me," he said.

"There would have been no need for him to repair his relationship with Manchester United in order for him to play for another club in England. Perhaps it was a guilt complex. It might have been playing on his mind for ages. Ruud was doubtless a more mature person by that stage."

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