Forlan: Ole was impressed with my work ethic

Uruguayan centre-forward Diego Forlan, who signed for United in 2002, became a cult hero after his two goals against Liverpool at Anfield later that year. However, settling into life in Manchester, after his transfer from Independiente, proved to be a challenge for the forward.

“When I arrived there, and I still tell this now sometimes, I always had a good technique with the ball. But my control with the ball wasn’t as good as it would become later on in Manchester,“ Forlan said. 

“It was really quick and I was having a tough time. In that moment, I said, ‘if I want to survive here, with these team-mates, I need to train hard and do things!’ I remember the pitch with the walls at the side and I would get a big bag of balls, hitting the ball at the wall, trying to control it and hit it on target. I was trying to survive in that moment, which was really difficult for me.“