He's not forlorn now

It is also embarrassing for United. Forlan smiled, tellingly, when asked about the fee Villarreal paid, which United never disclosed. "It was nothing ... £1.5 million," he said.

The 25-year-old might have stayed in England, but Villarreal's offer - he is earning more now than he did at United - proved persuasive and he moved to this city between Barcelona and Valencia on Spain's Mediterranean coast.

Forlan learned that his United career was over before last season's FA Cup Final - if that news did not come as a surprise then the demand to cancel his holidays and join up with the club on their pre-season tour of the United States most certainly did. "I finished playing in the Copa America and the same day I arrived in Uruguay they called me to go back to the United States," said Forlan.

"I didn't understand why they called me at that moment because the manager had told me before, 'You are not going to be here next season'.

"I flew straight from Uruguay to America. I had only seen my family for one day. That was hard because I knew that I was not going to play."

It was Forlan's only criticism of United. Though he believes things might have been different had he been given a run in the side, there seemed to be no frustration festering beneath the surface - at least not until his first United goal came up.

"The following day when I scored that goal they printed in the newspapers '28 games, one goal'," said Forlan. "But I started only six games and I don't remember if in any of those I played a full 90 minutes. Then once I got onto the pitch it was for 10, 15 or 20 minutes."

Despite his goal drought, Forlan was a popular figure with many United fans. He is grateful for their affection, though wishes that they had taken to him under different circumstances.

"It is like when you have someone who is trying to do something but never can get the result and you are behind him - it's not the thing that I wanted to have," said Forlan.

"If I am bad you can shout or do whatever you want, but it was more like they were feeling pity. Of course, then I scored goals and it was different, but in the first moment it was not the best way to be liked by the supporters."

Forlan recalled his last-minute goal against Chelsea, after which he famously struggled to put his shirt back on, and the double he plundered in a 2-1 win at Liverpool as his favourite United memories.

His contribution in the Anfield match engendered a new chant: "He came from Uruguay and made the Scousers cry." "A great song ... they made T-shirts also," said Forlan, smiling.

He was a picture of happiness sitting on the pitch side at Villarreal. The contrast with United could not be greater. Villarreal, who hope to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history, have only 11,000 season-ticket holders.

However, Forlan preferred not to make such comparisons. He said: "The organisation in Villarreal is not as big as Manchester United, but the way that the president is doing things, you have everything. It's a great club."

Yet, ambition still burns inside and Forlan admitted he would love to play in England again. "I would like to return to the Premiership," he said. "I don't feel I have anything to prove, I just like the football there. The atmosphere is great.

"Here it's not the same. If you take away Barcelona and Real Madrid, you don't see the stadiums full. In England, teams that are going down still have full capacity.

"But if you go from here to another place, for me, it would have to be a step higher. There's no point in me going from here to a team which is in the same position in another country."

So we must be talking Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool? "I don't know," said Forlan, laughing. "Manchester United ... I don't think so!"