PFA fury at Manchester United ‘legend’ Keith Gillespie’s Adelaide pick after elbow on Dean Heffernan

THE PFA want former Manchester United winger Keith Gillespie removed from a “legends” tournament in Adelaide after his savage elbow on Dean Heffernan.

Keith Gillespie injured Dean Heffernan during the PFA Aussie Legends match at nib Stadium in March.

FOOTBALL’s players’ union has called for former Manchester United winger Keith Gillespie to be stood aside from a “legends” tournament in Adelaide on Saturday, four months after breaking the teeth of former Socceroo Dean Heffernan in a charity match.

Heffernan was left furious after learning through former team-mates that he is likely to come face-to-face with Gillespie in the Battle of the Reds round-robin competition featuring former players from United, Liverpool and the A-League.

In March, Gillespie elbowed Heffernan in the face during a charity game in Perth, leaving the former Mariners defender with a broken molar, chipped front teeth and severe concussion.

Gillespie injured Heffernan during the PFA Aussie Legends match at nib Stadium in March.

Heffernan was forced to take three weeks of sick leave from his coaching job on the Central Coast, had to decline broadcast work with Fox Sports and was unable to drive for several weeks due to the effects of the concussion.

The 37-year-old declined to comment on Friday but has told friends he has never received a direct apology or any contact from Gillespie or United, despite spending two nights in hospital in the aftermath of an off-the-ball incident that was caught on camera.

The former Northern Ireland winger — included as a United “legend” despite making just nine appearances for the club — initially posted on Twitter at the time: “Apologies to everyone with regards to my elbow. I reacted to an elbow in the ribs but I obviously didn’t mean to injure. Apologies again.” That was later deleted.

Heffernan had to take sick leave from his coaching job following the brutal foul.

Tournament organisers were apparently unaware of the previous history until The Daily Telegraph made inquiries on Friday.

But other Australians due to play in the tournament are aware of the potential for ill-feeling, and the players union (PFA) was “staggered” that Gillespie had been chosen to represent United.

“Our expectation is that he won’t play against either of the PFA teams and to be frank we are staggered that a club of Manchester United’s standing saw fit to continue to include him in these type of events after what occurred in March,” said PFA CEO John Didulica.

“We saw the standards that Arsenal set last week (playing in Sydney) and we expect all touring teams to show the same respect when they are competing against Australian players.”

According to a spokesman, the ‘Battle of the Reds’ tournament is being held under the auspices of Masters UK, the body that organises veterans tournaments around the world with clubs’ agreement.

Manchester United did not respond to a request for comment, while the tournament organisers responded to a series of questions with a statement issued on behalf of Gillespie.

“It is a surprise to me that this is still an ongoing issue,” he said. “I did apologise for my actions which were out of character, the team is just looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans this weekend. I will happily shake Dean’s hand when I see him.”