Vidic sends strong message to Man Utd players

Former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic feels team spirit is lacking amongst the current squad.

Speaking to The Athletic, United great Vidic urged the club’s current squad to improve on their recent showings. And the former defender had a clear message for any players throwing the towel in early.

“I came to United as a mature person,” Vidic said. “I’d done my discos in Serbia and Moscow. At the biggest club in the world, it was important not to spend time on the stupid things. I wanted to show the whole world how good I was in the most important years in my career and I was lucky to play eight years for Man United.

“My point is that we all had the same target then. We were there to play for the biggest club in the world and we knew what the aim was — to win the biggest trophies.

“We had to play well, week in, week out, but there were always setbacks. I had many times where I played when I didn’t feel well or sharp, but my team-mates would see that and help me. We had an incredible team spirit and that helped us win trophies — and trophies are the only way to get recognition for Man Utd.

“At smaller clubs, you don’t have the same aims, but you still have aims and expectations, but at Man United, where every team plays 100 per cent against you, you should always play like it’s your last year: 90 per cent is not enough and the current players should play like that.

“You should be scared that you’re not going to be there next season and you have to fight to stop yourself going because it’s only when you leave Man United that you realise how big Man United is.”

Vidic added: “They are good boys but the way to win is in the collective and team spirit in a world which is becoming increasingly individualised. Players have individual social media accounts, but football is not an individual sport – like most sports are. Respect, trust and help for your team-mates is so important.”