UNITED are in the middle of a row with Real Madrid over fitness coach Valter Di Salvo.The Reds want compensation from the Spanish La Liga champions after the Italian was poached by the Spaniards.
Di Salvo threw manager Sir Alex Ferguson's pre-season plans into some confusion last week when he announced that he wanted to leave Old Trafford for the Bernabeu just 24 hours before the title winners return to training.
Real had spoken to 43-year-old Di Salvo without United's permission to offer him a job back in Spain and it has infuriated the club.
Di Salvo is now on gardening leave and United could insist on that continuing for six months to put a temporary block on the switch becoming official unless Madrid come up with a compensation package.
AlertedFergie's assistant Carlos Queiroz brought the fitness coach to Old Trafford in 2004 when he returned as the United manager's sidekick following his failed spell as boss at Real Madrid in the 2003-04 season.
Queiroz took Di Salvo to the Bernabeu four years ago having been alerted to his reputation as an innovative health guru.
Di Salvo had become highly respected in Italy following his work primarily with new City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson at Lazio.
His move to United was not without some controversy with Fergie agreeing to Queiroz's suggestion to install the man who had been heavily criticised by former Red David Beckham.
Becks had blamed Di Salvo's training regime in his year at Real Madrid for his own poor fitness for England at the ill-feted Euro 2004 championships.
Nevertheless, Sir Alex took Di Salvo on board in August 2004 and he set up a new training schedule and monitored the players' diets at United.
But Real have moved to take him back to Madrid plunging them into an argument with the Reds and leaving United in the lurch ahead of the new campaign.
