Paul Scholes has lifted the lid on what it was like facing Nemanja Vidic in Manchester United training sessions, recalling that his teammate was a “lunatic”.
Vidic had a reputation as a hard tackler and quickly stamped his authority on the Premier League after joining midway through the 2005-06 season.
The no-nonsense centre-back formed a formidable partnership with Rio Ferdinand and went on to win five Premier League titles and the Champions League during his eight-and-a-half years at Old Trafford.
And some of his antics in training were enough to make Scholes avoid him – despite the former England midfielder having experience playing alongside other ‘hard men’ such as Roy Keane.
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The 45-year-old recalled one occasion when Vidic decided to try his hand in a more advanced role during a training drill. “He didn’t play as a centre half in five-a-side,” Scholes told the UTD Podcast.
“He was one of those defenders that thought he could play a bit as a no. 10. You know what I mean?
“When you get to a five-a-side a he does anything but play in his position [saying] ‘Give it to me’ all that stuff.
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“But when it came to a game he would head and kick everything. In training he could be a bit moody and a nuisance in the box especially but a great centre half.
“He was perfect for English football he could head the ball, tackle. he was great, a really good player.”
Scholes was then made fun of for his own tackling, which was famously weak, but he maintained that any tackling would look weak compared to Vidic’s.
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“I was fairly good at tackling. It was all calculated,” Scholes added.
“I was just getting people back. That’s all I was doing! I never instigated. If someone got me, there’s a chance I’d get them back. Vida [Vidic] had some tackles in the box, he could be a lunatic.”
