New Internacional midfielder Anderson has blamed a knee injury for his demise whilst at Manchester United.
The 26 year-old ended his eight year association with the club when he agreed to move back to Brazil and sign for Internacional on a free transfer earlier this month.
United parted with a reported fee of €31.5 million to bring Anderson to the club from Porto in July 2007, but after a promising start, he faded and only made eight appearances, plus a further eight on loan at Fiorentina, over the past two seasons.
The Brazil international – capped eight times – believes his quick return from a knee problem contributed to his loss of form at United, but he is still grateful for what the club did for him.
“I played for eight years for Manchester,” he said, as reported by ESPN and website Squawka. “I would like to thank the club. In my first four years I won everything there – (UEFA) Champions League, Premier League and (the FIFA Club World Cup).
“I had a knee injury and returned to play again too fast. I played but the knees were not equal and I got myself injured again.”
During his time at Manchester United, Anderson was part of a side that won ten major honours. Before that, he lifted four trophies whilst with Porto and won the 2005 Brasileirão Série B at Grêmio.
