It was a record breaking transfer fee at the time.
15 years ago today, Manchester United signed Juan Sebastian Veron for a fee of £28.1 million. An eye-watering fee at the time that would now seem par for the course for any good player in today’s game. Back then he was the most expensive transfer in English football as he signed from Lazio.
There was little doubt that the Argentine was a very good footballer, but for some reason it did not seem to quite work out for him at Old Trafford. Some would say that the pace of the game was a little troublesome and he struggled to adapt although he still had the support of Sir Alex Ferguson during his difficult time; so much so there was the odd expletive chucked in there from the United boss as Veron came under fire from the media.
He told journalists back in 2002, as reported by The Guardian: “He [Veron] is a f*****g great player. And you’re all f*****g idiots.”
They also reported that Veron was ‘candid’ about his form during his first season at the club, describing it as ‘erratic’ such was the inconsistency of his performances. It was nevertheless a typical defence from Ferguson of a player he believed in, even if this particular transfer did not work out.
In Europe he looked far more at home while injuries did not help his cause. During his two years at United he still managed to win a Premier League title in 2003, making 77 appearances during that time and scoring 11 goals.
He would then leave for Chelsea in a £15 million deal although again his time was blighted by injuries despite the flashes of quality.
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