Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has blamed agents for Gaby Heinze's departure from the club.

"Agents just want to make money, and what has just happened was the culmination of a drip, drip effect that has been going on all the time," Ferguson, who saw Heinze join Real Madrid last week, said. "We looked after Gabby, we signed him and let him play in the Olympics, which meant he only started playing for us in the October. Then after one year at the club his agent asked us to sell him. He then had a bad injury, was rushed back to play in the World Cup, came back to us unfit and we had to rehabilitate him all over again.

"We liked the lad, but I don't think he knew what was being asked on his behalf. He was given a solid financial package but we were soon being asked to make him the best-paid player at Old Trafford. I don't necessarily blame the player, I don't think he was being told the truth half the time, but this whole business of dealing with agents is getting ridiculous. We are presently looking into Liverpool's role in the affair, too. It's too early to say whether we will be asking the FA to investigate that, but it's a possibility."