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Vahid Halilhodzic has stepped up the hostilities with Gabriel Heinze, describing the Manchester United defender as provocative, disrespectful and ungrateful.
Relations between Heinze and Halilhodzic were frosty throughout the 2003/04 season, when the Argentina international played under the Bosnian trainer at Paris Saint-Germain.
After hearing Heinze’s latest tirade at the weekend, Halilhodzic hit back with his own attack on Tuesday. “It’s been a year now since Heinze left PSG and in every interview he gives he talks about me,” said Halilhodzic.
“Up until now I haven’t reacted, but I can’t accept it anymore. I was not expecting thanks from him, but he would do well to remember certain things.
“When I arrived in June 2003, I wanted to keep him even though he was asking for a transfer. Therefore, I negotiated with (club President) Francis Graille to double his salary.”
Halilhodzic continued: “Then he didn’t stop complaining that I was playing him at left-back. But where does he play at Manchester United? And where does he play for Argentina?
“All this success, he owes to PSG.
“When his father passed away I gave him 10 days off to go back to Argentina with his best friend Hugo Leal. He also seems to have forgotten that.”
The former Lille and Rennes Coach also recalled meeting Heinze at the end of the successful 2003/04 campaign, when the pair were once again at loggerheads.
“I called him in to congratulate him on his performances, but also to tell him I didn’t appreciate his behaviour at training, his provocative manner, his play-acting and his attitude towards my assistants,” said the out-of-work Coach.
“He showed them absolutely no respect. I’d be surprised if he behaves in a similar way towards Alex Ferguson and his assistant Coaches,” he added.
Speaking from the Confederations Cup in Germany, Heinze, who has been a big success at Old Trafford, said at the weekend that Halilhodzic was to blame for PSG’s recent demise.
“He didn’t do PSG any good because of his personality,” Heinze said. “He thought only of himself and not of the team.
“He doesn’t like his players to have character and wants to run everything himself. Therefore he decided to break up a team that had a good spirit – and the results are there for all to see.”
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