Manchester United Hit Back

24 August 2007

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Sir Alex Ferguson says Manchester United are investigating Liverpool over their attempts to sign Gabriel Heinze.

Heinze left Old Trafford for Real Madrid, but only after a protracted attempt to join Liverpool which went to a Premier League arbitration panel.

Reds boss Rafael Benitez was unhappy with the three-man panel's verdict.

Heinze argued that a letter signed by Red Devils chief executive David Gill - citing a fee at which a deal could be done - constituted an agreement to sell.

But the Premier League ruled in United's favour, ending any hope of them selling to rivals Liverpool. Heinze was instead sold to Spanish side Real.

Benitez said he was 100% confident that Heinze would be allowed to move to Anfield and hit out at the Premier League and United after the ruling.

Ferguson labelled Benitez's remarks churlish, then confirmed Gill is leading an inquiry into the way Liverpool have acted.

Ferguson was also quick to hit back at Benitez's jibe that United enjoy favouritism in the drafting of the fixture list.

I want to ask why it was so difficult for Liverpool to sign Javier Mascherano but it was so easy for Carlos Tevez to join United

He also expressed his anger at the Premier League's fixture scheduling ahead of the club's away game at Sunderland at 1245 BST this Saturday.

Benitez was also angry about what he claimed was the drawn-out nature of Liverpool's signing of Javier Mascherano, compared to United's signing of Carlos Tevez - a deal he felt was pushed through quicker.

Mascherano and Tevez were signed last summer by West Ham but their moves were complicated over issues relating to third-party ownership in their contracts.

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