FORMER Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has revealed his regret over the way he left Manchester United.

Bruce was a mainstay of the United defence from 1987 until 1996 but has said he left after falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The former centre-back made 393 appearances for United, winning three league titles and three FA Cups among various other titles.

His time at United came to a dramatic end after he was left out of the squad for the 1996 FA Cup final when United beat Liverpool 1-0.

As United captain, he had played all the games leading up to the final.

It was a typical moment that showed how Fergie was ruthless in refreshing his squad, but Roy Keane went on to say he did not like the way Bruce's departure was dealt with.

Speaking to Off The Ball, Keane said: “I was at the club when Bryan Robson left, I was at the club when Steve Bruce left, two brilliant servants for Man United and I didn’t like the way they were treated at the end.

“People talk about Ferguson’s man management, don’t be kidded on by all of it.

“Ferguson came out of it after and said he always did what was best for Manchester United - nonsense!”

But now Bruce has told TalkSPORT that he personally regrets how things ended between him and Fergie.

He said: "The one regret in all my time was leaving Man United, I left in a bit of a huff because I didn’t get picked for the cup final.

“It was Sir Alex’s way of easing me out the door. Looking back on it now, I hated it at the time but I fully understand it.

“I was 36, I wasn’t injured and didn’t get back in the team for the cup when I thought I should have. I left within two or three days, but can fully understand it from afar now.

“I didn’t want to sit on the bench or be a squad player any more. I made that pretty clear to the manager himself. I left within two or three days and I left under a bit of a cloud.

“My contract had finished, but that took me over the edge that I didn’t play in the 1996 cup final. Man United won 1-0 and Eric Cantona scored in the last minute, nobody gives a stuff if I played in it. Man United won.

“The manager made the right call and had done the same thing with Bryan Robson a few years before that. It was his way of telling you quietly that your time was up.”

He admitted that the him and Fergie have since patched up their relationship.

He added: “With Sir Alex, I still have conversations with him. I haven’t seen him for a while, he’s been all over the place.

“I can always pick up the phone to him, especially when I was in management. He was instrumental in me taking a job to start with and was always someone you could pick up the phone to.”

Since retiring in 1999 he has managed a long list of clubs, including the likes of Birmingham, Sunderland, Wigan, Hull and Aston Villa.