David Beckham has drawn comparison between Roy Keane's sudden exit from Manchester United earlier this month and his own shock departure to Real Madrid in 2003.
The England captain revealed he has not spoken to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson since he left, but insists his exit came about so quickly there was no time to say goodbye properly to anyone at the club.
"Maybe United think that's the best way to do it, out before you know it. I'm not sure that I agree," Beckham told the British newspaper the Times.
"I remember saying after I left that I would love to say goodbye and thank the manager and at least get a handshake.
"People criticised me for that, saying `get on with it, it's football and that's how it is', but I had lived half my life there and I never said goodbye.
"I have never been back to play there with Madrid or for a United match. It is not easy because I live in Spain now, but I would love to go back and see people."
Keane's exit was equally abrupt, again in spite of the player having been at United for more than a decade.
"There have been a few dramatic exits," Beckham observed.
"Mine came as more of a surprise to me than anyone else. Roy Keane's was a shock too, but I hope he is remembered for the 12 years and the trophies and not his departure. It was an honour to be in the same side."
PA