The midfielder confirmed his innocence after completing a permanent transfer from Elland Road to Crystal Palace, the club who were at the centre of the 'Molegate' scandal last year.

The Championship game between Leeds and Palace on February 10 was overshadowed by the revelation that one of Dennis Wise's players had passed his line-up to a member of the London club's squad ahead of kick-off at Elland Road.

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An angry Wise warned that the player responsible "will not be playing for this club again" and Derry, who had clear links to Palace and had been missing from United's team for a month before the controversy, left Leeds yesterday without making another appearance.

It is understood that the 30-year-old was injured at the time, and there has never been any suggestion within Elland Road that he was responsible for the leak.

But Derry has moved to clarify the situation after insisting he did not want his reputation among United's supporters to be affected by suggestions that he had passed over Wise's line-up.

Derry said: "I don't want to be looked upon as the guy who gave the team away. It wasn't me.

"Danny Butterfield was a Palace player, and with him having been best man at my wedding, people put two-and-two together. The accusations hurt but I can look every fan and every one of my team-mates in the eye and say I wasn't responsible. I'd never do that.

"Dennis understands that it wasn't me, and he wouldn't have asked me to come back and play for Leeds on New Year's Day if I'd been responsible. It's obviously in the past now, but I wouldn't want my time at Leeds to be clouded by people thinking I'd betrayed the club."

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