“He’s like an artist, he’ll just paint what he loves to paint” - Nemanja Vidic highlights ‘issue’ he had with Berbatov at Manchester United

Nemanja Vidic has recalled an issue he had with Dimitar Berbatov's game during their time together at Manchester United. The Serbian has revealed that he had urged Berbatov to score more goals at the time.

Vidic played with Berbatov at Old Trafford for four years from 2008 onwards, when the striker joined from Tottenham Hotspur. The pair played 109 matches together under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning two Premier Leagues, two EFL Cups, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Berbatov was renowned for his extraordinary playmaking, even as a No.9. The Bulgarian preferred being the assist provider rather than the goalscorer, according to Vidic, who believed it was a problem for a striker playing for Manchester United.

Speaking on Rio 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."

"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 concluded, looking back on Berbatov's iconic hat-trick in Manchester United's 3-2 league win over Liverpool back in 2010:

"Eventually, he scored three goals against Liverpool and everything changed."

Berbatov contributed 56 goals and 26 assists in 149 appearances during his time at Manchester United.

Dimitar Berbatov names 2 current Manchester United players he would've loved to play with

Dimitar Berbatov has revealed two players in the current Manchester United squad whom he would've loved to play alongside. The Bulgarian picked midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo.

Fernandes has been a key player for the Red Devils since his arrival in 2020, recording 79 goals and 71 assists in 245 appearances. Berbatov praised the Manchester United captain's passing and said on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel:

“You can easily say Bruno Fernandes, in my case. I look first for the guy who is making the special pass, or some improvising like this."

Meanwhile, Mainoo, who earned his first-team promotion in January 2023, has been quite impressive at just 19 years of age. He has started seven of Manchester United's first eight league fixtures so far.

Berbatov added:

“You can see Kobbie Mainoo coming into that way of having that confidence of just give me the ball, I know what to do. He’s 19, but he plays with the belief that he’s 30 or something. The body language how he moves on the pitch. How he passes the ball, even how he scores the goal from time to time. he’s showing ‘I’m the guy’. This is good to have, you need to have this self belief on the pitch.”

The Red Devils will next be in action in the Europa League against Fenerbahce on Thursday (24 October).