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United stopper Vidic denies Manchester criticisms

27/08/2008

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has denied claims he is unhappy with life in the north of England and wants to move to Spain.

The Serbian international was quoted by Russian magazine Football Weekly as saying he was considering joining a Spanish club because the weather is so poor in Manchester and he wants a better quality of life.

Vidic was quoted as saying: "I will never stay to live in England, that's for sure.

"You get only a brief glimpse of sunlight before it's all cloudy again.

"The winters are mild, but in summer the temperatures seldom go higher than 20 degrees. And it rains, rains, rains.

"In future, I would like to test myself in another top league. I'm thinking of Spain. At least there will be no reason to complain about the weather.

"In England, they say that Manchester is the city of rain. Its main attraction is considered to be the timetable at the railway station, where trains leave for other, less rainy cities."

Vidic, 26, was also quoted complaining that he finds it difficult to meet people because the working week in England is so much longer than it is on the continent.

"In Russia and Serbia the people's way of life is similar. In England it's totally different. Here they just don't have time to feel the joy of life," he continued.

"Throughout the week they all work so hard. They only talk to people at lunch break. Then in the evening they come home and watch the TV, so they can get up early for work the next day.

"The only time to meet friends is at weekends, but for football players it's the busiest time of all."

Vidic added: "It was much easier for me to adapt to Russia than England. In England I had no one to talk to.

"The first month was especially hard. I lived alone in a hotel, which I left only for training.

"I thought I would go crazy inside those four walls."

However, Vidic has since told the club's official website: "I'd like to clarify that I did not make these particular remarks.

"I spoke about the difficulty I had settling in to life in Manchester, but that does not reflect how I feel now.

"I enjoy my life very much as a footballer at Manchester United and I'm very happy to be a part of this great club.

"I think I show that in the way I play every week. I also have far too much respect for the people of Manchester, and England, to criticise them in this way."

Vidic joined United from Spartak Moscow in January 2006 and has quickly become one of the team's most important players, forging a strong partnership with Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the defence.

And if he were to demand a move it would strike a major blow to the club's hopes of retaining the Premier League and Champions League trophies they won last season.