Nemanja Vidic has admitted that he had an “issue” with how one former Manchester United teammate would play and described his playing style as an “artist.”
The 43-year-old former Manchester United defender enjoyed incredible silverware success during his prolific playing spell at Old Trafford.
During his time at Old Trafford, Nemanja Vidic lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and three League Cups under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The United legend, who served as captain at the Premier League club, was a linchpin defensive figure for Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary teams of the past.
Signed from Spartak Moscow in 2006, Vidic excelled during his time at Old Trafford thanks to his incredible partnership with fellow United legend Rio Ferdinand.
Vidic’s ‘issue’ with former Man Utd teammate
Nemanja Vidic sat down with former Manchester United teammates Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov and opened up about his time at Old Trafford.
The ex-United centre-back shared his initial experience of playing with Dimitar Berbatov, whose style of play was very different from what he previously experienced.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought former United striker Berbatov to Old Trafford in 2008 as part of a deal worth £30.75m from Premier League side Tottenham.
Speaking on Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, Vidic said: “I knew some Serbian players who played with him so I was aware of his talent, how good he was as a player.
“I know how difficult it was for me when I first came to United because obviously, it’s such a big club with a different mentality and different culture.
“The issue with me when he came was that he has his way of playing. He’s like an artist, he will just paint what he loves to paint. That was his game.
“Even when he was a striker, he always wanted to be the man who passed the ball for someone else to score.”
Man Utd legend Vidic’s message to Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov spent four seasons at United and lifted two Premier League titles and a League Cup before his departure from Old Trafford in 2012.
The 43-year-old Bulgarian former striker made 149 appearances for the Red Devils and he scored 56 times for the Premier League club.
Vidic revealed that he spoke with Berbatov and told the former Bulgaria international that he needed to be in the box more rather than linking up play as much as he did.
“I told him, ‘If you want to play for United, you have to score goals. You helping the team to get to the last third is nice but you have to be in the box,’” he said.
Vidic added that a turning point for his former United teammate was against Liverpool in 2010, with Berbatov scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 win at Old Trafford.
“Eventually, he scored three goals against Liverpool and everything changed,” he said.
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