Vidic Glad To Be Part Of United

Nemanja Vidic made en emotional farewell speech at Old Trafford after the Hull game on Tuesday, and in an interview with United Review he discussed his time with the Reds and the future, for himself and the club...

You still have the Southampton to come, so could it feel like a second goodbye?
Yes, but it shouldn't always be so dramatic. A lot of players leave the club and a lot come here. United will always be the same and will always attract good, big-name players. I don't think it will be any different when the transfer market starts. Last year, Paul Scholes retired. Before that, it was Gary Neville. That's life and yet you still see these players around the club and supporting the club. I will be no different. I'm just glad I was part of this club. You can be sad to leave the after so many years of playing here but, for me, it was nice to be part of it.

Did you worry initially about the fans' reaction when it was announced you were joining Inter?
The fans have always been supportive – even in bad times for the club and the players. I said that's when you see how good your fans are. You can judge them when things are going well and say how good they are but, when there have been bad times, they have shown their class.

You have always seemed a natural captain due to your qualities on and off the field, yet you were surprised to get the armband. Why was that?
I had been captain before, of Red Star Belgrade, and vice-captain in the Serbian national team for a long time. It's not something I didn't have in me as I have always been professional in training and a winner; I just felt there were older heads in the squad, such as Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar, with more experience. However, I got the armband and the reason was because Sir Alex Ferguson wanted someone who was going to be on the pitch most of the time. I was glad to get that opportunity. It's true as well that there are many leaders in the team as I have mentioned so many times in the past. I was glad to be captain of this club and team and it was easy to be that.

Do you have any words of advice for your replacement as skipper?
I don't think so. How I see the captaincy, especially at this club, is your job is actually to perform on the pitch. Everything off the pitch is sorted because you have many people doing different things – from private stuff to the many coaches, fitness experts, scientists and so on. It means there is not too much room for you to do more. Your job is to be an example on the pitch to the younger generations and also in the way you train and live. The decisions you make are also important as they shape how people judge each other. You are judged on your decisions rather than the words and that should be the case for the United captain.

What do you think lies ahead for United?
The foundations are here. The club is structured well and there are so many nice people at the Aon Training Complex. That is the main thing. The manager who comes to Carrington should be relaxed about the people around him as he will have help from whoever he asks. There are not people who will try to throw things his way, they will always be helpful and that is a great thing for the manager to have, whoever he is. I think he has a great base to achieve something big and I hope he is going to step up next year so United play an important role in English football again.

Will you be watching on with interest regarding any future developments at Old Trafford
Definitely. I will be able to because you can watch the Premier League everywhere you go in the world and I am sure Italy will be no different. I have to focus on Italian football as well to learn the league and the players I am going to face. That is important to me as well but I will definitely keep in touch with you guys to see how things are going.

Do you see yourself coming back here in some capacity after your retirement?
I don't know. As somebody who played for the club, I am always going to be watching United. I would like to come with my kids, when they get a bit older, to watch a few games at Old Trafford but you never know what the future is going to bring. All I can say is that I have a good relationship with all the people at the club and I don't think that will change in the future.

Have you got a message for the United fans?
Thank you for all the support you have given me over the years. I know I will be supporting the club in the future. Hopefully we can win as many trophies as we did in my eight years over the next eight years.