The echoing cry of 'Argentina, Argentina' and the colours of the Albiceleste have become familiar sights and sounds in the stands at United games this season, the passion of Lisandro Martinez and the potential of Alejandro Garnacho rekindling a unique relationship with the South American country.
United fans have always wanted to take Argentineans to their heart and Martinez is already a cult hero, with the centre-back talking of his pride at hearing the name of his country chanted in Manchester.
The chant's origins might have more to do with United fans showing their antipathy towards the England national team and its followers, but it's also become a show of support for many of the eight Argentines to play for the club in the previous 20 years.
It should make the red side of Manchester a welcoming abode for players originating from Argentina, but the enthusiasm with which they've been greeted hasn't always been matched on the pitch. Juan Sebastian Veron and Marcos Rojo failed to live up to expectations, Carlos Tevez and Angel Di Maria were vilified on their return to Old Trafford for fairly obvious reasons.
Then there is the case of Gabriel Heinze. The former defender's association with United has been back on the radar this season, with Martinez describing him as his "idol".
"I love the way he played, very aggressive, good mentality, good mentality in the duels. He was a top player," said Martinez.
There are obvious similarities between the two and, like Martinez, Heinze was a terrace hero in his early days at Old Trafford, but then he did the unthinkable. He tried to sign for Liverpool.
--
Martinez spoke to Heinze before moving to Old Trafford, but he didn't reveal whether he'd asked him about the tumultuous summer of 2007 and one of the stranger transfer tales in recent years.
It was mid-June of that year when Heinze's agent secured written permission from David Gill to leave the club if a bid of €10million was received. His first-team opportunities had been limited and with reports linking him with a move to Spain, he wanted a fresh start. What nobody envisaged was a club down the M62 trying to sign him instead.
By the time United and Liverpool went on their pre-season tours the interest from Anfield was public knowledge. They lodged a bid of £6.8million, which equated to the fee Gill had said he could leave for, and expected it to be accepted. It wasn't.
READ MORE: 'He wanted to know three things before signing' - How Casemiro was convinced by United
For Sir Alex Ferguson, there was no way he was selling Heinze to Liverpool, who under Rafa Benitez were threatening to become a force again.
"I can assure you, Liverpool will not be getting Gabriel Heinze," Ferguson said at the time. "We can put that to bed right now and we have done so. We have had a couple offers for him and we have turned them down."
It was Gill who had told Heinze's camp he could leave the club, but he backed Ferguson's assertion that a move across the North West wasn't going to happen.
"It was a significant offer, but we rejected it because it's Liverpool," he said. "We wouldn't sell a player to Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea. We've relayed that to the agent in no uncertain terms."
That was not the end of the matter. Far from it. So determined were Liverpool to sign Heinze and the player to get the move that they took their case to a Premier League panel.
Heinze took the letter that he felt would allow him to become the first player to move directly between the two clubs since Phil Chisnall in 1964. He was backed by Liverpool and Benitez.
“It’s clear he’s a player we like and he’s a very good player. That’s the reason why they don’t want him to leave for us," Benitez said in late July. “We made an offer which they rejected. The lawyers are now working on it and so we have to wait."
A three-man Premier League panel looked at the evidence and called witnesses and a bizarre case become a little murkier when Crystal Palace were involved.
In his book Be Careful What You Wish For, Simon Jordan claimed the club's CEO at the time, Phil Alexander, received an approach from a South American agency about signing Heinze.
"The gist of the conversation was that this agent wanted Crystal Palace to buy Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United and then immediately sell him on to Liverpool," said Jordan.
Palace wanted nothing to do with the deal and Alexander told Gill what had been proposed, which came without Liverpool's knowledge. It was used as evidence in the hearing, which came down on the side of United.
“The hearing concluded that nature and intention of the disputed June 13, 2007, letter, especially when taken in context of verbal discussions and Manchester United’s transfer policy, was unambiguous in that it envisages only an international transfer,” read a Premier League statement.
“Furthermore the hearing finds the letter constitutes an ‘agreement to agree’, and did not create an obligation or binding agreement for the club to transfer the player to any particular club.
“In other words the letter is evidence of an intention to negotiate, both between the parties and with potential buying clubs, and not evidence of any intention to create legal relations.”
Even then Heinze and Liverpool didn't want to let it lie. "My fight is for the freedom to negotiate with any club. United never wanted me to leave for one of the big clubs, but this anti-Liverpool clause is incredible,” Heinze told the Daily Mail after losing the hearing.
But the Argentine was soon off to Real Madrid instead. They made a bid that matched the clause, United sanctioned the deal and Heinze went to the Bernabeu rather than Anfield.
"It has been complicated," Heinze said at the time. "I am convinced my move to Liverpool would have worked out and I believe I had a case and needed to defend my rights.
"I am grateful for what Rafa Benitez said and tried to do. I didn't want more controversy with Sir Alex Ferguson. It is logical now for me to make this jump. I always said I wanted to leave for one of the big clubs in Europe and Real are one of those."
The relationship between Ferguson and Benitez would become even more strained in the seasons that followed, but in the summer of 2007 the Scot was unhappy with the conduct of the Anfield club.
“There was never any chance of Liverpool winning that case," Ferguson said. "So Rafa clearly did not read the Premier League rules. It is just churlish. We are looking at Liverpool’s whole role in this.”
As would become clear, neither character was the type to let a situation lie and, in what could now be considered a fore-runner to Benitez's famous 'facts' press conference in 2008/09, he gave an interview to the Liverpool Echo in which he took umbrage with the Premier League.
“I would like to ask the Premier League a number of questions. How can a player with a signed agreement be treated like this?" he said. “He has a document which is clear, but the Premier League prefers to believe the word of someone else who made a mistake. I know there were accusations made against Liverpool in the hearing which were unbelievable. How can this be allowed?"
Heinze would go on to make 60 appearances for Real Madrid, winning a La Liga title and Spain's Super Cup. Liverpool never would break United's stranglehold on the Premier League under Benitez.
Speaking a few years later, Heinze was regretful about the summer of 2007 and how his desire to join United's arch-rivals had played out.
“I spent three years in Manchester and had some great moments and I regret it [leaving the club] a lot. There are a lot of things I regret from the last months but I am a strong personality, Sir Alex is a strong personality," he said.
“I took the decision and, looking back, I regret it because it meant leaving a great club and their supporters. I was aware of the rivalry [with Liverpool], I knew the risk of going from Manchester to Liverpool and what it means. I hope it doesn’t tarnish the way they [the supporters] see me and they will remember the three years I had in the team."
It certainly didn't tarnish the way Lisandro Martinez saw him. Maybe through United's latest aggressive Argentine, Heinze can begin to find some redemption at Old Trafford.
READ NEXT:
