Gerard Pique reveals Sir Alex Ferguson meeting and 'favour' that prompted Manchester United exit

Gerard Pique has thanked Sir Alex Ferguson for the 'favour' he did him in allowing him to rejoin Barcelona from Manchester United.

The Spanish centre-back left United in 2008 to move back to Spain with his boyhood club. Pique only made six Premier League starts for the club during his time at Old Trafford.

With Barcelona coming in for his services after the Champions League win in Moscow, Pique begged Ferguson to sanction the move. The United boss accepted, showing compassion for the young Spaniard's situation.

"He did a favour to me, really," Pique told Rio Ferdinand's podcast FIVE. "I had a meeting with him and I said that if it was another team, I'd understand but it's Barcelona.

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"I'm from there, it's my club, a dream come true. Let me go, please, I am not playing here in all the games I want to play and he was very comforting.

"He said 'ok, if they pay for you', I think it was £5m at the time. He did me a great favour because he could've said 'no, you're staying here'.

"I arrived in a totally different country with a totally new culture," Pique added on his time in England. "I met new teammates and it was a big shock, my English wasn't good but I am very social, I wanted to do jokes.

"I was very young, for me, it was trying to settle, I had an amazing time. I wanted to play a little more which is why I left. When Barcelona came for me, it was a no-brainer.

"I learned a lot from you [Ferdinand], from Vida [Vidic] and I think you were the best two centre-backs in