Louis Saha had a successful career at Manchester United, but his time at Old Trafford was cut short after a conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the 2007/08 season
Louis Saha has revealed that a candid discussion with Sir Alex Ferguson led to his departure from Manchester United.
The ex-France international, now 46, joined the Red Devils from Fulham - who United face tonight (January 26) - in the middle of the 2003/04 season in a £12.4million deal. Despite often playing a supporting role to the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez up front, Saha still managed to score an impressive 42 goals in 124 appearances, of which only 76 were starts.
His time at United came to an end after he was sidelined for the 2008 Champions League final. Two years prior, he had missed out on playing in the World Cup final due to suspension and had pledged not to let such an opportunity pass him by again.
However, a poorly-timed knee injury took the decision out of the forward's hands, leaving him heartbroken. "It was the worst," Saha told FourFourTwo in 2019. "I'd worked really hard to come back from injury, and I'd also learned from my mistake at the World Cup."
Having started just 10 games all season, the disappointment of missing out on the biggest game in club football prompted Saha to bring his United career to an end. "It was after missing that final that I talked to the manager and said, 'I need to leave'," he explained.
Ferguson assured him that he wouldn't obstruct his move, and shortly after, a transfer to Everton was finalised. Despite the circumstances, Saha maintains a high level of respect for Sir Alex, but the pain of missing out on the Champions League final lingered for a long time.
"It took me four or five years to realise how painful it was," Saha said. "When I wrote my book, because when I finally tried to explain how it felt, I realised how much damage it did to my confidence.
"The pain became almost spiritual for me when I missed the Champions League final as well [as the World Cup final]. I found myself questioning, 'Why has God given me these platforms to perform, but then taken it away from me? ' It was the first time I ever cried about football. I couldn't bear it - I was in pain for two or three weeks."
Reflecting on his move to Everton, he insisted: "It was the right move at the right moment for me. I loved Manchester United - I had a lot of injuries but the manager was always there for me. He taught me to be loyal and have respect. Those things remain within me today."
Saha had a successful stint of three-and-a-half years at Merseyside before briefly joining Tottenham in 2012. The former Fulham, Newcastle and Metz striker later played for Sunderland and Lazio before retiring in 2013.
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