Man Utd star says cousin's Big Brother stint did not lead to Old Trafford exit
Whether it was David Beckham and his celebrity lifestyle, Roy Keane and his criticism of teammates, or Jaap Stam and his apparent loss of form - Sir Alex Ferguson was never afraid to get rid of a big-name player.
But one of his former Premier League winners has insisted his cousin's reality TV stint didn't lead to his Old Trafford departure. Kieran Richardson spent six years at the club after joining the youth set-up in 2001, playing 15 times in the 2006/07 campaign as Ferguson's team ended a four-year wait for a title.
But that summer he would join Sunderland, spending six years with the Black Cats in the Premier League before further stints with Fulham and Aston Villa. And his departure coincided with cousin Charley previously appearing on Big Brother, not the sort of distraction his manager was renowned for embracing.
Charley famously reacted with bemusement when told of the news by producers, but the now 38-year-old has rubbished claims her five minutes of fame was behind the move. He even insisted the decision to leave the champions was his and not that of the manager.
"My cousin said what she said at the time, on Big Brother, about my move to Sunderland. But she doesn't really know football; it was as simple as that," Richardson exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone. "She knows the bigger clubs, obviously, like Man United and Liverpool, but she hadn't heard of Sunderland. It was funny, because they obviously told the house about my move from Man United to Sunderland in one of the episodes that summer, but she didn't really know what was happening, or what club I was joining."
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Indeed, Richardson also claimed that the show was aired before players reported back for pre-season: "I didn't have to go to training or spend time with the players while all of that was going on," he added. "I think it had already been decided that I was leaving the club, actually, so I didn't experience anything negative from the club about Charley [Uchea] being on the show.
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"I think that was the right time to leave Man United, though. I remember Sir Alex saying 'you don't have to leave, but we've had a couple of offers'. He didn't say I had to leave, but I knew it was probably better for me to go, to be honest."
Richardson maintain he had a "great" relationship with Ferguson, and quipped: "Do I think he was watching Big Brother that summer? No, I don't think so whatsoever! Big Brother had nothing to do with me leaving Manchester United. It was strictly football reasons only."
Richardson, who also won eight caps for England, eventually retired in 2017 after a short stint in the Championship with Cardiff. He made 81 appearances for United, scoring 11 times.
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