Manchester United's record signing Dimitar Berbatov has admitted that he, along with United's other three crown jewels, has to work hard for a place in the starting line-up.
With
the array of attacking talent at the disposal of Sir Alex Ferguson, no
United forward can afford to rest on his laurels, and that goes for
£30.75 million signing Dimitar Berbatov as much as the others.
Although
Carlos Tevez has been, more often than not, the fall guy as the manager
persists with Berba, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, the Bulgarian
international is aware of the level of expectation upon his shoulders.
The
27-year-old insists that he is not taking his place in the United set
up for granted, and understands that there are no automatic choices at
Old Trafford.
He told Sky Sports: "It is up to Sir Alex who
plays. Everybody wants to play and I think in some games we could even
play all four strikers.
"But of course there will be rotation and it is difficult when you don't play some games. That is football.
"I
am still working on everything. Everything is new to me. I am still
working on my training sessions and my performance in games.
"But I think, for now, things are going according to plan. I am working hard and fighting for my place.
"Sir Alex is in charge and you must prove to him in every training session and every game. And I am trying to do that."
The
former Bayer Leverkusen man is relishing a return to first team action,
and conceded that he enjoys working closely with a figure such as Sir
Alex.
He continued: "It is enjoyable [working with Ferguson].
Sometimes you get a little bit nervous around him because obviously he
is Sir Alex. You don't know what to say or do sometimes.
"He is a really nice guy. He speaks with you when necessary, or sometimes he raises his voice to make his point clear."
shut up and play