Vidic: Fish and chips helped me settle at Man Utd

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic says he was able to settle into life in the Northwest after falling in love with fish and chips!

“It’s important to learn about a new city, a new country, when you first arrive. And, for me, I remember when I first discovered fish and chips," said Vidic.

"The way I see it, if you went to Serbia you wouldn’t go to an Italian to try the traditional food. It was the same for me here. When my friends came over, the first thing they said was ‘We want to see the pub, it’s traditional in England’. It’s the same with the fish and chips.

“I must admit I do like eating them. But obviously I can only have them occasionally, because you have to keep in the right shape to play.

“They are one of the great English traditions, though, and it’s important to know all about that sort of thing.

“When I first came over, I couldn’t even understand more than a few words and could speak even less. Not much more than ‘Hi, how are you?’, ‘Man on’ and ‘Time’.

“After 3½ years I’m really settled now but it is definitely hard at first. You are learning about the city, everything else and making new friends to have a life outside football.”

Vidic is up for PFA Player of the Year and added: "To be talked of in those terms is very satisfying, especially for a defender. I’ve not won anything like that, even as a youngster. This would be the first. It’s usually the forwards or people getting the goals. The most important thing, though, is to win trophies with the team — and maybe then have some fish and chips to celebrate!”