Dimitar Berbatov said yesterday he had lost respect for Alex Ferguson over the way his Manchester United career came to an end.
The Bulgarian striker, who moved to Fulham on transfer deadline day on Friday, said he was unhappy with the way the United manager had treated him in the final months of his four-year stay at Old Trafford.
“I don’t think I deserved such treatment at United – not playing (regularly) in the last year,” Berbatov told a news conference in Sofia.
“I went more than 10, probably 15, times to ask the coach if they need me. And every time I was told that I’m an important player and should not leave, but then again I was not in the team.
“Maybe I should’ve gone when he (Ferguson) left me out of the squad for the Champions League final (in 2011). I know he’s the boss, but he has lost, to some extent, my respect because of the way he treated me.”
Berbatov became United’s most expensive player when he joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £30.75 million, and was the Premier League’s joint top-scorer in the 2010-2011 season with 20 goals.
The player’s agent, Emil Danchev, said yesterday that Berbatov had received a late offer from Spurs at the end of the transfer window.
“We were in touch with Tottenham at the last moment,” Danchev said, adding that 12 clubs wanted to sign the striker.
Berbatov, who yesterday confounded expectations in Bulgaria that he would come out of international retirement, said he fell victim to a change in United’s style of play.
“He (Ferguson) tried to explain to me that the team will be using a more direct style, with more speed,” he said.
“But I’ve never been among the fastest players, I like to hold the ball, this is my style.
“I found it hard to accept his decision (not to play) – I still have my dignity. I scored many goals, I won the league two times, and I was the league top scorer, so it’s not bad.
“I’ll have no problems playing against United as this already happened in my career. But there’s no point to look back again. I said goodbye to the people, who deserve it. I couldn’t say goodbye to Ferguson.”