Heinze Pans Fergie's 'Fiction'

Ferguson declared in a recent interview with GQ magazine that he was not surprised when Madrid moved for Ronaldo during the summer. The United manager stated that he believes the Spanish club's decision to buy Heinze the previous year was part of a long-term plan to lure the Portuguese winger to the Bernabeu.

Heinze and Ronaldo were close friends off the pitch until the former, having been displaced by Patrice Evra at left-back, departed in search of first-team football. After Liverpool failed in their bid to buy the Argentine defender from their arch-rivals, los Merengues swooped with an £8million offer as they sought to replace Roberto Carlos, who had joined Fenerbahce.

However, Heinze has been little more than a fringe player under Bernd Schuster as Marcelo, the Brazilian international, has been preferred on the left side of defence.

But the former Paris Saint-Germain player has taken great offence to Ferguson's insinuations, adding that no amount of cajolling on his part could convince Ronaldo to leave Old Trafford.

"This theory of Ferguson about me going to Real in order to persuade Cristiano to come the following summer is a work of absolute fiction," Heinze told the Daily Mail.

"I am a very good friend of Cristiano Ronaldo. This is true, but he always decides his own future. Cristiano is a clever person and he decides himself what is best for his own life.

"If he asks me a question about Real then, of course, I will answer, but I'm not a bad influence on him. Ferguson has spoken about me in the last months and I don’t understand this. I thought he had forgotten me.

"He’s the boss at United and any person who protests about anything is marginalised. This was my problem at times when I was there. Ferguson cannot stop my quotes because I’m not now at United."

Ronaldo's form and body language in recent weeks has led to speculation that he is already looking ahead to the summer and a fresh attempt to push through his dream move.

Heinze did not discourage such a notion; indeed, he suggested that the 23-year-old has only shown a fraction of his potential during his time in England.

"I'm actually convinced Cristiano would offer Madrid even bigger performances than he has at United," he said. "That is my opinion and it is normal that I have wanted him to come and play with us here in La Liga."


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