Rio Ferdinand has revealed that one former Manchester United teammate would end up getting on his “nerves” over one thing he did during his time at Old Trafford.
The 45-year-old former Manchester United defender spent the large majority of his Old Trafford playing career under legendary ex-Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Signed from Leeds United in 2002, Rio Ferdinand went on to lift six Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and three League Cups with the Red Devils.
The United legend was a linchpin defensive figure for Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams of the past, with Ferdinand striking up a formidable partnership with Nemanja Vidic.
Ferdinand briefly played under former United boss David Moyes after club legend Ferguson bowed out of Old Trafford as a manager in 2013.
The ex-England centre-back left Old Trafford in 2014 and saw out the remainder of his playing career at Queens Park Rangers before his retirement in 2015.
Ferdinand on Man Utd cult hero
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand opened up about crossing paths with a Manchester United cult hero who wouldn’t “even speak to teammates.”
United legend Sir Alex Ferguson splashed out a deal worth £30.75m to bring former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov to Old Trafford in 2008.
Dimitar Berbatov spent four seasons at the Premier League club and the 43-year-old Bulgarian former forward lifted two league titles and a League Cup with United.
The former United and Spurs striker’s spell at Old Trafford came to an end in 2012 and Berbatov completed a move to Fulham.
Ferdinand revealed that Berbatov would even “bring his own knife and fork” because he “wasn’t happy with the hygiene” at United’s training complex.
“My man never spoke about football in his whole [playing] career,” he said, as per Sportskeeda.
“He didn’t even speak to teammates, used to blank them. Berba used to bring his own knife and fork to the training ground because he wasn’t happy with the hygiene.
“It got on my nerves because I thought it was just disrespectful to the people cleaning in the kitchen.”
Ferdinand talks encounter with Berbatov
Ferdinand has previously spoken about Berbatov’s time at Old Trafford and one eventful training session ahead of the Champions League final.
Berbatov was on the losing side of both Champions League final defeats to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side in 2009 and 2011.
Ferdinand recalled a heated confrontation that he had with the “relaxed” former Bulgaria international because of his lack of movement in a training session.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast in 2020 (via TNT Sport), he said: “Berbatov was a good example. He had a fair amount of success at Man United when he came, but he probably could have done more, especially at the beginning.
“I remember a training session had to be stopped because – before a Champions League final it was, I think – he didn’t come across the pitch.
“I had the ball on one side and he was on the other side of the pitch. He’s our centre-forward by the way, almost on the left wing.
“I’ve got the ball and I’m waiting for him to come to help me so I can pass to him, or pass it up the pitch because we were being marked out of the game deliberately in the training session, so to play over the press.
“He was still over there. I’m screaming. I kicked the ball off the pitch and I’m going mad, ‘Get over here!’
“And he was relaxed, typical Berba. ‘Just wait.’ He said Barcelona will just keep it and play and wait until the players come over there.
“I said, ‘This is not Barcelona, this is Manchester United.’”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/WPh4G2p