Man Utd stars who said they hated Manchester, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Anthony Martial
IF this lot are anything to go by, incoming Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will have his work cut out convincing new signings to sign for the Red Devils.
The Dutch tactician joins the club in the summer, and will immediately set about reshaping a squad in dire straits for fresh blood.
But, he will have to remember some might not take to living in Manchester, or its surrounding areas.
And some certainly won’t enjoy the rainy weather, with Frenkie de Jong reportedly the latest transfer target to question a move to Old Trafford because he wasn’t sure about the weather.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese superstar can’t dislike Manchester too much, after all he’s lived in the city twice now.
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But when he first arrived in the UK, he voiced his discontent with the weather in comparison to sunny Portugal.
He said back in 2006: “I like to play for Manchester – better than [I like] the weather.
“The weather is very difficult for me because you see snow, every time, and rain.
“It’s difficult compared to Portugal, where you see sun every day, which is why it’s difficult for me.
“But the club is massive and I’m very happy for staying here.”
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Anthony Martial
For French star Martial, it was the English cuisine that didn’t quite take his fancy.
Currently on loan at Sevilla, maybe he’s getting his culinary fix now.
But when he was asked what he didn’t like about Manchester, he told L’Equipe: “Manchester weather, cooking when I’m tired and English cuisine.”
And what did he like? “Football,” he said.
“It sounds simple but it’s always been the case – I don’t see myself living without playing.”
Carlos Tevez
Argentine legend Tevez admitted he was never quite sure about the North West, despite spells at both Manchester clubs.
Amusingly, he said there was nothing for him to do in the sprawling city.
“There is nothing to do in Manchester. The weather, everything. It has nothing and the problem is I am still speaking very poor English,” he said on Argentine TV.
“When I finish my contract I will not return to Manchester ever, not even on holiday. Not for anything.”
Nemanja Vidic
We never thought tough-guy and uncompromising centre-back Nemanja Vidic would be worried about a bit of rain.
But even the Serbian, who signed from Spartak Moscow, was unsure.
“I struggled with the weather in the beginning,” he told FourFourTwo magazine in 2016.
“Moscow is cold in the winter, but you don’t have rain – you have sunshine.”
“The only thing I had a problem with was the weather. I really enjoyed Manchester, the social life and its people.”
Angel Di Maria
The homes of Cheshire surely aren’t this bad?
Angel Di Maria thought so, he hated his living arrangements after signing for United.
“It was horrible! All of it was horrible, we went to the house and we were like, ‘See you later guys, we’re out of here,'” he said.
“When we left, I said to him, ‘Go to any country – except England!”
Juan Sebastian Veron
Argentine midfielder Veron played for both Man Utd and Chelsea, but admitted he was never happy in our country.
In 2010, he said: “I was never happy in England and my time there made me question my desire to continue playing.”
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He added: “England has a spectacular Premier League but that’s it. They don’t train very much and there were no proper warm-ups at Manchester United.”
Now, we can’t believe Sir Alex Ferguson never pushed his players hard in training.