Dion Dublin has branded former Crystal Palace defender Eric Young a "coward" and says he will "never speak to him" for breaking his leg in 1992. The challenge effectively ended the striker's Manchester United career.
Career-ending tackle
Dublin started his professional career at Norwich City before starring for Cambridge United, Coventry City, Aston Villa and Celtic, among others. He retired in 2008 with 230 career goals and has since moved into media, hosting the BBC's Homes Under the Hammer.
But his career could have been different. In 1992, he made a high-profile move to Sir Alex Ferguson's United, ready to lead the line. Disaster struck on September 2, 1992, when United faced Palace at Old Trafford. Late in the first half, the ball was fed to Dublin near the halfway line.
As he took a touch, Young went in with a heavy tackle, fracturing Dublin's left fibula and leaving him with severe ankle ligament damage. He was stretchered off. After six months on the sidelines, Dublin returned.
Never forgiven
Overall, he managed only 17 appearances for United before joining Coventry, as Eric Cantona had been signed from Leeds United and taken his spot while he was out. Dublin still holds ill feelings towards Young.
Speaking on In The Mixer, Dublin said: "On my Old Trafford debut, I broke my left leg. That was kind of my career really finished. I did play afterwards, but some geezer called [Eric] Cantona turned up and there was no way back after that."
On Young, Dublin continued: "I can't stand him. He's a coward. A coward. No [I've never spoken to him] and I would never speak to him. Never. It was a scissor tackle. So it was a cowardly tackle to be fair. My left foot is planted. The ball comes into me. I controlled on the side, went to move with the outside, but my left foot is still planted."
"I've tried to turn and my leg moved, but my ankle stayed on the ground and he's just scissored me and run off. Coward. He never apologised. I can't stand him. Can't stand the geezer."
Regrets and retirement
Dublin won the top-flight Golden Boot in the 1997-98 season for Coventry in a three-way tie with Michael Owen and Chris Sutton. Despite a storied career with 111 Premier League goals, he says one regret is his short-lived United spell.
"I got to play for Sir Alex and with those players, it's on the CV," he said. "It made me a better player. But when people say to me, 'Have you got any regrets in the game?' - It's not knowing what could've been and what might've been [at United]. I was only there for like, two and a half years, would I have been there for six, eight, 12? I don't know."
"I relied on crosses and [Andrei] Kanchelskis was there and [Ryan] Giggs was there. All I had to do was stand in the box. Becks [David Beckham] was coming through. Lots of supply for a big unit that likes to stay in the box. It would have been perfect and I think I'd have scored a lot of goals. But we'll never know."
On his retirement in 2008, Dublin said: "My body was completely shot. For the last five years of my career, I had to stand in a bath and we'd put hot water up to just below my knees."
"I had to stand like that for 20 minutes to warm up the achilles so I could go out and train and get through the session. Then I'd have to go back in the bath and recover so I could walk. I was in my 22nd season. I thought, 'I just can't do it anymore.'"
"Having had so many operations, my body was just starting to fail me. The body shuts down because of all the wear and tear. Both knees had been cleaned out. Both achilles. I had sugar injections. Double hernia. Bone graft from my hip for my neck. Broke my collarbone twice. Loads and loads of operations."
