SOCCER:RUUD VAN NISTELROOY has sought to end his rift with Alex Ferguson by making a personal apology to the Manchester United manager almost five years since their working relationship began to disintegrate and the bitterness eventually led to his departure.

Van Nistelrooy told Ferguson he regretted the way he had behaved – the Dutchman once had a fight with Cristiano Ronaldo on the club’s training pitch and drove home after he was left out of the starting line-up against Charlton Athletic on the final day of the 2005-06 season – and admitted he had contributed to the reasons why Ferguson had decided he had to get rid of a striker who had scored 150 goals in his five seasons at Old Trafford.

Ferguson, in turn, told the Dutchman the matter was now finished and that he is happy to end a rift that ignited after he was omitted from the League Cup final line-up in February 2006, and had been smouldering ever since.

“I was really pleased with that,” Van Nistelrooy said. “I told him: ‘Those five years at Manchester United were fantastic, and working with you, and it’s really unfortunate what happened’. I’m really glad it’s finished now.”

Relations between the two men became so fractured at one point that when Van Nistelrooy moved to Real Madrid for €15 million in 2006 he cited the tensions as the only reason he had left Old Trafford.

Nonetheless, they were also key to each other’s success during Van Nistelrooy’s time in Manchester and, in an interview with the magazine Voetbal International, the Dutchman explained why he had waited until now before contacting his former manager.

“I had been thinking about it for a while and talking it through with my wife,” he said. “Two or three times every year I would think to myself what a shame it was that it had ended like it did with Ferguson. I wanted to do something about it.

“My wife suggested I sent Ferguson a text to see if he was willing to talk and when I sent him a message asking if I could ring him he replied to say: ‘Okay, call me at this date and time’. I rang him and he answered and said: ‘Okay, fine, go ahead’. I said I wanted to apologise for what had happened and he replied: ‘Fine, I appreciate that, when we meet again it will be okay’. That was great to know.”

Van Nistelrooy had established himself as the eighth-highest scorer in United’s history when he left the club for Madrid. After three and a half years in Spain he signed for Hamburg last January but is now in talks about returning to the Bernabeu.

Now 34, the striker is acutely aware he is coming to the end of his career and made it clear he retains an affinity for the club where he established himself as the most prolific striker in the Premier League.

“If I encounter Ferguson again – and I really hope that will happen – I will embrace him and then it will all be finished.”

Ferguson may have settled one grudge but the manager retains another, against the referee Mike Dean for his sending off of Rafael da Silva in the goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.

The Brazilian was fined €9,400 yesterday after admitting an English FA charge of improper conduct relating to his reaction to the red card, but Ferguson believes the Brazilian was entitled to be aggrieved.

“I think everyone who watched the game agreed (the red card was unjust). I think (the former referee) Dermot Gallagher said it was the worst decision of the week. Everyone knows it was a bad decision, but it happens. Unfortunately, in a game of that magnitude, it could have had a big impact. It didn’t help us in terms of trying to go and win the game.”

Rafael’s one-match suspension means either Republic of Ireland international John O’Shea or Wes Brown will play at right back against Birmingham City today and Ferguson revealed he had arranged a private match at the club’s training ground this week to improve their fitness.