Dimitar Berbatov insists he will stay at Manchester United despite feeling "ashamed" to be left out of the Champions League final.
The Bulgarian striker scored 21 goals as the Red Devils won the Premier League with a nine-point margin over second-placed Chelsea.
However, he found his first team chances limited towards the end of the campaign following the emergence of Mexican sensation Javier Hernández.
And Berbatov, who finished the season as the joint leading scorer in the Premier League, had been tipped to leave Old Trafford after boss Sir Alex Ferguson left him out of his Champions League final squad for the defeat against Barcelona.
However, the 30-year-old has outlined his determination to prove he has a future with United and insists he has no intention of leaving the club.
Berbatov told Bulgarian television: "I will stay. I will fight for the 20th title.
"If I were an easy quitter, I would never have made it this far. Everything at Manchester United starts from scratch for me on July 4."
He added: "I want to apologise to everyone for not taking part in the final.
"I hoped to make the whole of Bulgaria happy with my play. This did not happen and I can only say I am sorry for myself and for the Bulgarians, who expected to see me.
"But there will be new finals and we will be fighting for new titles. I am moving ahead. When you go through difficult times, you should not quit.
"The truth is that I stayed at the dressing room and watched the Champions League final there, on a TV screen.
"I was really disappointed. I was ashamed that I was not part of the team and did not want people to see how sad I feel."
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| Dimitar Berbatov set to stay at Manchester United despite hurt over Champions League final snub Photo: Reuters |
The Bulgarian striker scored 21 goals as the Red Devils won the Premier League with a nine-point margin over second-placed Chelsea.
However, he found his first team chances limited towards the end of the campaign following the emergence of Mexican sensation Javier Hernández.
And Berbatov, who finished the season as the joint leading scorer in the Premier League, had been tipped to leave Old Trafford after boss Sir Alex Ferguson left him out of his Champions League final squad for the defeat against Barcelona.
However, the 30-year-old has outlined his determination to prove he has a future with United and insists he has no intention of leaving the club.
Berbatov told Bulgarian television: "I will stay. I will fight for the 20th title.
"If I were an easy quitter, I would never have made it this far. Everything at Manchester United starts from scratch for me on July 4."
He added: "I want to apologise to everyone for not taking part in the final.
"I hoped to make the whole of Bulgaria happy with my play. This did not happen and I can only say I am sorry for myself and for the Bulgarians, who expected to see me.
"But there will be new finals and we will be fighting for new titles. I am moving ahead. When you go through difficult times, you should not quit.
"The truth is that I stayed at the dressing room and watched the Champions League final there, on a TV screen.
"I was really disappointed. I was ashamed that I was not part of the team and did not want people to see how sad I feel."
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