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Legendary Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has revealed that he had a back injury his whole career, which at times kept him from participating in training sessions with the Red Devils.
Sir Alex Ferguson signed Vidic in 2006, forking out £7m to secure his services from Spartak Moscow.
He went on to establish himself as one of the toughest and most powerful defenders in Premier League history. He especially formed a formidable partnership with Rio Ferdinand.
Vidic kept an incredible 95 clean sheets in 211 appearances for United before departing in 2014. During his time at Old Trafford, he helped the club win 15 trophies, including five Premier League titles.
The former Serbia international suffered injuries, which took their toll on his body. He retired just 18 months after leaving United, citing fitness issues as the primary reason for the decision.
It’s well-known that he struggled with back pain but the former defender has now shed more light on the matter, indicating the problem troubled him throughout his successful career.
He even revealed that at times, he was forced to sit out training and just play competitive fixtures.
Vidic told L’Equipe, “I had the impression that I wasn’t the same player, that I couldn’t do the same things as before.”
“I couldn’t see myself staying in England because the Premier League is very demanding and I didn’t want to play for any club other than United.”
“When you’re a footballer, you shouldn’t talk about your injuries… I had a herniated disc when I was at Red Star and I’ve had it my whole career. In Manchester, there were even periods when I didn’t train, I just played the matches.”
He added about his time at United, “When I arrived, I was more scared of training sessions than matches.”
“At Carrington, I was up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Louis Saha and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.”
“It was hard to survive! I love defending. I could read the action well and knew how to position myself to avoid having to sprint. Some people like to take part in the game, but I was happy if I didn’t let my opponent take the ball.”
“Even against a small team, I prepared as if I was going to face the best in the world. But I played against some fantastic players: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba… I’m also thinking of Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi, who I played against in my first game for Serbia.”
The 43-year-old noted that he is interested in a coaching career but only once his children have grown up.
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