Former Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was all smiles when he met officials of Al Ain on Wednesday â⬓ four years after accusing them of not being good enough to sign Asamoah Gyan.
The Hull City manager exchanged pleasantries with officials of the UAE champions on the sidelines of his teamââ¬â¢s 4-0 win over Al Ain in a pre-season friendly in Austria.
Bruce however missed a chance to meet Asamoah Gyan once more again four-years after his astonishing exit from Sunderland as he has now moved to join Chinese club Shanghai SIPG.
The former Manchester United defender furious over Gyanââ¬â¢s initial loan move to Al Ain back in 2011, lashed at agents for unsettling his then Ghanaian striker ever since his wonder strike against England in an international friendly.
ââ¬ÅHeââ¬â¢s been unsettled now, if we are being brutally honest, for weeks and months,â⬠Bruce said in disbelief of the departure of Gyan back in 2011.
ââ¬ÅSince that game at Wembley, all the parasites, as I call them, hover around.
ââ¬ÅReal Madrid was the first one, which I laughed at five months ago, but it started with that and itââ¬â¢s ended up with the United Arab Emirates.
ââ¬ÅPeople surround themselves with agents going to visit them. Five of them on Monday visited him in his hotel room, threatening him and the rest of it.à à à ââ¬ËWho knows? Who knows whatââ¬â¢s gone on around him? Thatââ¬â¢s one thing â⬦ you canââ¬â¢t control. Itââ¬â¢s very difficult.
ââ¬ÅForty eight hours ago I had him in my office and said, this [speculation about a move] has gone on too long.
ââ¬ÅHe shook me by the hand and said ââ¬ÅI want to remain here and be a Sunderland playerâ⬠and then within 48 hours he has manufactured a move to the United Arab Emirates.
ââ¬ÅI will leave people to make their own conclusions about that but it baffles me how he can leave the best league in the world to go and play on the other side of the world.
ââ¬ÅNo disrespect to Abu Dhabi or wherever he has gone, but I find it really baffling.ââ¬
Bruce then conveniently left out that Sunderland were the first to accept the offer from Al Ain for a then record loan fee of 6m pounds.
Al Ain eventually paid an additional 6m pounds to make the loan move permanent a season after.
Steve Bruce now appeared not to be holding any grudge against Al Ain as his Hull City crashed the UAE champions in a pre-season friendly.
He was full of smiles as he greeted and took pictures with officials of the UAE club.
Gyan went on to become the best buy of Al Ain as he helped them to three domestic league titles in his four-year stay and winning the Goal King award three times while at it.