Florentino Perez has made another desperate attempt to save face and screwing up their deal to sign David de Gea. They failed to put in a bid all summer, despite having months to agree the deal, then time ran out for them on the final day when they made their move.

Following the failed transfer on deadline day we could have said that we were no longer interested in the deal because time was short to do it but we had an obligation (with De Gea) to try it – although we knew it was very difficult. I think they didn’t have bad intentions. I think they just lacked experience. It already happened to us (two seasons ago) with Fabio Coentrao and also happened to Athletic Bilbao with Ander Herrera (the summer before the Spanish midfielder make the move when David Moyes was in charge). When this happens more than once and you see that all the operations that, according to the media, they have tried to do during the summer (which didn’t go through) one believes that this happened because it is a new team with no experience.

This is a weid claim from Perez, given that it was well documented at the time that Real Madrid pulled out of the Coentrao deal after their replacement, Guilherme Siqueira, joined Benfica.

United have rejected Perez’s claim and insist the facts support their version of events.

The facts speak for themselves. The FA are prepared to back our case that documents were in on time; Real seem intent to move the focus away from their own clumsiness this summer. We all like to blame others but if you let one slip through your fingers into the back of the net, then ultimately the culpability is yours.