Ex-Manchester United captain eyes management role

Mark Scott
Nemanja Vidic: Former Manchester United captain

Nemanja Vidic: Wants to turn his attention to management

Former Red Devils skipper Nemanja Vidic has revealed his intention to go into management following his decision to retire from playing.

The 34-year-old arrived at Old Trafford from Spartak Moscow in 2006 and went on to win the Champions League and five Premier League titles with the Red Devils.

Vidic left for Inter Milan in the summer of 2014 and played 28 times, before calling time on his career in January as injuries caught up with him.

Now, though, the Serbian is looking to the future and would like nothing more than to move into management.

“It wasn’t like it just came to me and I said I didn’t want to play football any more,” Vidic told MUTV.

“It was down to a lot of injuries I had in recent years.

“That’s one of the reasons I left United because I felt I could no longer perform at the level I wanted to perform at in the league I played in for so many years.

“It was a difficult decision in terms of knowing I’d played football all my life and I’m still only 34, but I knew my back couldn’t handle it.

“I believe my back can handle the bench though! I would like to be a manager.

“That’s what I started preparing myself for a few years back. I would like to learn and visit some good managers and coaches and make the best of that for the next couple of years and after that try to find a club and start my new career.”

Vidic has done some ambassadorial work for United since retiring and understandably keeps a close eye on his former club.

This has been a frustrating campaign at Old Trafford but Champions League qualification remains realistic and their former defender sees positives.

“United are going through a transition but we hope there are good signs with the young players who have come through the academy,” he said. “It could be the start of a new era for Manchester United.

“We see Jesse Lingard, (Anthony) Martial, (Marcus) Rashford – they’re players with ability, energy, speed and determination to work hard and that’s what Manchester United has always been about in recent years.

“I believe that new players who come to the club like Martial have adapted to this kind of mentality and with his ability he can be important for us.”