Ando: I love United and I never said players want to leave

This week, an interview with Anderson made the headlines, with newspapers claiming that many of his team mates wanted to leave the club like he had done.

The impression given was that United were in such a desperate situation that others wanted to jump ship, but when you read what he actually said, it was obvious there had been quite a lot of spin.

“I am sure that lots of players want out,” he reportedly said. “Especially people like myself and Nani, who have been in Manchester for seven or eight years. Manchester United is a huge club, a club that does everything for its players, but sometimes a footballer wants to leave just to experience a different way to play football and to learn something as well. Playing in Manchester was great, it is a prestigious club with a lot of history. But I was there for seven or eight years and I want to show Fiorentina my quality and fight for a spot in the starting line-up. I thank all Manchester United fans for their love, but I’m here to stay.”

However, Ando has come out today with a post on Instagram to deny having ever given the interview.

“I’m shocked and surprised [by] a supposed interview that never existed. I never gave any interview [and did not] say bad things about a club that I love, a club where I [grew] up and that gave me so much. I’m like [a] fan [of the] club, [I] love the club.”

Did he give the initial interview though? Yes. Very publicly.

The translation that was given in the press is the correct one. He said that he wanted a new challenge and believed that other players who’d been at the club for as long as him, could do with a change. The problem is that the media, and even United blogs, attached an incredibly negative headline to what, essentially, were respectful comments about his former club.