Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once ranted at reporters for criticising Juan Sebastian Veron. So why did he sell him after only two seasons?
Juan Sebastian Veron was Manchester United’s record signing in 2001, bought for £28.1 million from Lazio.
The Serie A winner was an Argentina international regular, who had an incisive passing ability and an enjoyable habit of scoring long range goals. In his two seasons at Old Trafford, United saw flashes of magic from Veron.
Veron’s highlights included a goal on his debut against Everton, a strike in a famous 5-3 comeback win over Tottenham, a free-kick against West Ham, and a long range chip against Olympiakos.
An important goal in a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2002/03 influenced the title race and may have been his most important contribution.
There were also the defence splitting passes, for Ruud van Nistelrooy against Deportivo, and for Diego Forlan for a winner against Chelsea. He had everything you could want from a midfielder.
But there were also errors too. Veron was caught in possession in front of his own goal to cost his side a defeat at home to Middlesbrough.
And perhaps harshly, he lost the ball in the Real Madrid box in an epic quarter-final clash at Old Trafford that led to a swift counter-attack for ‘R9’ Ronaldo to put the visitors 1-0 up.
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Veron signed at a time when Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to shake up United’s midfield, but after just two years he was sold. Why was the great manager so willing to take a loss on Veron so swiftly?
Manchester United's Juan Veron celebrates after ma
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Why Ferguson sold Veron
Roy Keane was nearing the end of his Manchester United career, forcing an exit 18 months after Veron’s departure, while Nicky Butt was sold in 2004. So why was Ferguson so willing to allow Veron to sign for Chelsea, a rival club?
The answer was provided in Ferguson’s autobiography, in which he admitted he just did not know where to play the Argentine.
Ferguson wrote: “Although there were spectacular contributions, Veron just couldn’t play in our team.
“He was the sort who, if you played red v yellow on the training ground, Veron would play for both teams. He just played everywhere. He went where he liked.
“If I managed him for 100 years I wouldn’t know where to play him.”
Ferguson spoke of his absolute belief that Veron adapted well enough to English football and the challenges of the Premier League, but it was the communication and tactical instructions that proved more problematic.
He described Veron as a ‘free bird, flying everywhere’ who he was unable to rein in.
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I always felt like United quit on Veron too soon
I was a huge fan of Juan Sebastian Veron from the moment he joined the club, after watching him in Serie A with Lazio. It was clear from his first contribution for United that he had magic in his boots, his debut against Everton was a majestic performance that I recall being highlighted on Match of the Day.
Veron needed a little more patience. He played two seasons at United and won the title in one of them. And in those two years he contributed to some memorable moments.
It was special to see him in the same team as David Beckham, two players with great set piece ability, both able to play the kind of passes other midfielders could not even think of, let alone execute. Even their pre-game warm-ups became a sight to behold.
United just could not resist the business case to accept £16 million for Veron from Chelsea in 2003. While this was a loss, it was enough money to tempt United to take the money and run.
I always felt like United abandoned the experiment one year too early.
Veron’s final game for United came in a 4-1 win over Juventus in pre-season, where he set up a spectacular goal for Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The Dutchman told The Independent after the friendly: “He was the best player on the pitch tonight. He didn’t lose the ball, and the assist for me was just brilliant.
“We know what Seba is capable of, we see it in training all the time and if he plays like he did tonight everybody will see what his qualities are. He’s brilliant.”
Six days later Veron was sold to Chelsea. Sir Alex Ferguson had made his decision.
Having later admitted he would not have truly figured Veron out in 100 years, perhaps one more season would not have made too much of a difference.
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