The Times:
"Alex Ferguson was very supportive," he said, "but I think that when I didn’t score straightaway, he started to feel the pressure from the fans. It felt like everyone wanted me to score two goals every game."
These, though, are the pressures of playing for a big club. Ferguson suggested on Friday that "maybe I should have persevered with him and given him more time in the team" after the second of his two flurries of goals, but Forlán had rarely warranted such patience.
Whereas Rooney, for example, was born to play on such a big stage, Forlán, who joined United at the age of 22, seemed overawed by his surroundings and by what was demanded of him. As a consequence, he was never truly able to gain the trust or his team-mates or his manager.
A fundamental part of the striker’s art is the ability to be in the right place at the right time. Forlán moved into goalscoring positions often enough at United, but his erratic finishing suggested that he was out of his depth. Moving to Villarreal has worked perfectly for him, but that does not alter the fact that he never threatened to make the grade at Old Trafford.
The reality is that now, finally, Forlán is in the right place at the right time in his career, surrounded by people who trust him. United can only hope that tomorrow’s match at the Madrigal is not the time and the place for him to take his revenge on those who could not.
Fergie:
"I liked him a lot as a player but his problem was that we already had Van Nistelrooy and I like to play only one up front.
"This became a frustration for him and I'm just sad that we could not give him the regular football that he wanted. His form has been fantastic in Spain and I'm sure he will be a big threat."