‘I became a cult hero at Man Utd – then I asked Alex Ferguson to let me leave’ Louis Saha has opened up on his departure from Manchester United and revealed his injury record forced him to ask Sir Alex Ferguson to let him go.
Despite walking into a United dressing room that already had Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Diego Forlan as striking options, Saha still managed seven goals in 12 Premier League appearances in his first six months at the club.
The following season was Saha’s best in a United shirt – registering 15 goals in all competitions – and by 2006/07, Saha and Rooney became Ferguson’s first-choice strike pairing.
And after another injury-hit campaign the following year, which saw Saha miss United’s Champions League final victory in Moscow, the Frenchman knew that the time was right for a change of environment.
Saha scored just two goals in all competitions in that first full season in Ferguson’s side, which had begun to evolve with the signing of Wayne Rooney and the departure of Roy Keane.
