Year-long transfer tussle brought Manchester United their 'great assassin' and an epic pitch invasion

Manchester United fans had to wait a long time to see Ruud van Nistelrooy finally play for their club. The old adage goes that players don’t come back from serious knee injuries - they're never the ‘same player’ again.

In April 2000, PSV Eindhoven were so keen to show United that Van Nistelrooy’s suspect knee was 100 per cent healthy that they filmed some training shots to send to Ferguson’s transfer team.

United were set to complete a record £19million deal for the then-23-year-old. But then, in front of the cameras filming the training, Van Nistelrooy let out a yelp when he landed awkwardly after leaping in the air for a header.

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Much to the annoyance of PSV president Harry van Raay, United asked for the striker to complete extra fitness tests before they could sanction a move. Van Nistelrooy was in no fit state to take part having suffered a serious medial ligament injury, and so he stayed in the Netherlands to recover for another 12 months.

The relationship between Ferguson and Van Raay became strained and stayed as such, even when United finally announced the move in April 2001. PSV complained that they’d had to foot Van Nistelrooy’s medical bill and had even turned down a bigger offer from Real Madrid, because of an agreement with United.

"Ferguson played it well, but not fair," said Van Raay. "His suggestion that after his injury, Ruud could recuperate at United was scandalous.

"He asserted it would be better if Ruud trained with him. Yet if he really thought that, he should have taken the financial risk and bought Ruud last year."