Beckham Chased Me Out Of Mufc Because He Was So Good – Poborsky

Karel Poborsky has come out to say that a young David Beckham made him play less games at Manchester United because he was simply outstanding.

Karel recently revealed that Jordi Cruyff did not also make his life easier at Mufc for refusing to play for the club’s reserve side.

According to him, Beckham made it impossible for him to secure a regular place in the starting line-up since he was just unplayable in midfield, but he never felt any bitterness towards the Englishman.

He added that he eventually had to quit the club after 18 months because he really minutes on the pitch to play for this country.

“But I wanted to play regular football. There was massive expectation on me when I played for the Czech Republic. People expected miracles from me, because I was playing for one of the best clubs in the world, but I lost my rhythm and my performances weren’t at the same level. We didn’t qualify for the 1998 World Cup.

His words, “Moving from Slavia to United in the mid-90s, it was like two different worlds,”

“It was a massive step in my career, and in my life. United had a great squad, but I didn’t speak English and the language barrier was the biggest issue. Growing up in Czechoslovakia under the communist regime, English wasn’t taught in grammar schools – we only learned Russian. It was easier for players who arrived from other countries and could speak English.

“That was the case for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who joined United that same summer. When you go somewhere new, the first two or three months are so important to make a good impression. It’s not ideal when you can’t communicate properly.

“Ole was friendly, and many of the players were helpful. Eric Cantona was one of them – a cool guy, and very calm in the dressing room. He always told me that if I needed something, he’d help me. Sometimes the better the player, the more normal the person – and what a player he was. A genius.

“In the end, I was there for just 18 months. It was almost impossible for me to secure a regular place in the starting line-up ahead of David Beckham, at the beginning of his amazing career. But I don’t feel any bitterness.

“The players accepted me and I always tried my best, even though I only came on for the last 20 minutes of games. I didn’t have a problem playing for the reserve team – Jordi Cruyff refused to.

“When I got a chance to play for the first team, I tried to convince the manager of my qualities. My best match was probably against Leeds – I scored one goal, later voted goal of the month, and set up a couple. But every match at Old Trafford was special. We won the league title and I loved the celebrations. Newcastle gave us a guard of honour and Pavel Srnicek, my international team-mate, congratulated me.

“But I wanted to play regular football. There was massive expectation on me when I played for the Czech Republic. People expected miracles from me, because I was playing for one of the best clubs in the world, but I lost my rhythm and my performances weren’t at the same level. We didn’t qualify for the 1998 World Cup.

“I sat down with Ferguson and told him that even though I was at the best club in the world, it didn’t make me completely happy – I longed to play regularly. He understood and tried to find me an English club on loan – like Leeds or Sheffield Wednesday – but I signed for Benfica.”