Juan Sebastian Veron is perennially included in those lists enumerating Sir Alex Ferguson's worst ever signings (most publications seem to have done this exact list) nestling in behind fellows like Ralph Milne and the memorably named Eric Djemba Djemba.
He arrived at Manchester United during the expensive summer of 2001. He departed two seasons later, his previously lofty reputation greatly diminished.
In particular, his fanatical determination to send out Hollywood passes at every available opportunity was a source of irritation. Old Trafford had never before seen a player with such a disdain for the 'bread and butter' ball.
The charitable interpretation was that his Latin artistry couldn't survive in the coarse, unsubtle world of English football.
Today, in an interview with Marca, he talked about the brutalities of the Premier League, how his preparation was affected by the decreased training time, and how Alex Ferguson wasn't open to his plight.
At the time, Ferguson's defence of the player involved telling the press that 'I'm no fucking talking to you. He's a great player. Yous are all fucking idiots.'
My level in the Premier was never constant. At Lazio it was the best football I did and at United I got devalued, my performances weren’t rising.
I came from a place where the physical preparation was very important and it did not favour me.
I learned English and I got along with everyone, it isn’t that I was alone in a corner.
I communicated as I could but it’s true that Sir Alex is not a very open guy.
He wasn't devalued so much that Roman Abramovich didn't spend £15 million dragging him away. He spent four seasons at Chelsea where he was either injured or out on loan.
