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When Nemanja Vidic was just a boy he went through a three month period where his family could barely use their apartment because of air raids.  Now Vidic is captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world and seen as one of their most pivotal players.

Vidic was born in 1981, in what was known at the time as Yugoslavia, his nationality now, is that of Serbia.  In the period of 1991-1999 Serbia was involved in the Yugoslav wars which directly conflicted with Vidic’s youth.  When growing up, Vidic would have to endure air raid sirens, evacuations and bunkers and if it wasn’t for football, he could have ended up fighting in the war himself.

Vidic started playing football at the age of six by just kicking a ball around on the streets with his brother.  He played for local youth sides Jedinstvo Uzice and Slobodia Uzice until the age of 15 when he signed for Red Star Belgrade, the capital of Serbia and the largest city in the country.  By the time he was playing for Red Star Belgrade, Serbia was directly involved with the Balkan conflict.  Serbia was being bombed and under constant threat.  If you were not a student or a professional athlete, you were drafted into the army.

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Vidic had already had his medical tests for the army, but it wasn’t until signed paperwork from Red Star Belgrade arrived that he was saved from joining.  Proving that he was a footballer was probably the best move Vidic could have ever done, but that didn’t make his journey any easier.  Serbia tried to deploy an air of ‘carry on as normal’ during the war and this was even shown within games of football.  Belgrade itself was bombed, but luckily Vidic was away during this period.  However when speaking to The Daily Mail Vidic stated: “We’d wait until the planes had come and dropped their bombs before we came out on the pitch.  That was the worst moment, hearing the planes and knowing that they were coming to bomb the city.”

A country at war can have devastating effects on everything within it, people, society, economy and much more, but Vidic believes that war has made him a stronger person: “Any person that has bad times in their life, I think gets stronger after it, and obviously they learn to live in other ways.” (Setanta Sports)

“You have good things to enjoy and bad things to make you strong, and if it makes you stronger it’s good.”  Vidic certainly knows not to take things for granted, and he knows he is lucky to be in the position he is in.  This was re-affirmed, when at 20, best friend and playing partner Vladimir Dimitrijevic died on the pitch of a heart attack.

“We were inseparable,” Vidic said.

“We dreamed the same dreams.  When I play, I think about my friend.  Others didn’t make it.  I am lucky.  I reached the dreams I had.  I gave everything I had to be a professional footballer.”

It is clear to see that Vidic isn’t exactly the type of player to go out drinking heavily and get bad press.  This is partly because he has a family to look after, a wife and three kids to support, when Vidic plays, he does so for his life.

After Red Star Belgrade, Vidic secured a move to Spartak Moscow in July 2004.  Value around the deal was not disclosed but it was heavily rumored that he became the most expensive player in the Russian League’s history.  After two successful seasons Vidic was approached by Manchester United and then signed for a deal worth £7million in December 2005.

Since then, Vidic hasn’t looked back and has collected 14 honours for the Red Devils, including five Premier League titles.  Individually Vidic has won the Players’ Player of the Year award 2008-09, Barclays Player of the Year award 2008-09 and 2010-11, and has featured in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year four times 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11.  Vidic has become both a reliant and dependent centre back for Manchester United and when injured, it shows.

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In recent seasons Vidic has been hampered by various injuries forcing him in and out of the side, and the stats confirm just how much he is missed.  In the last 60 appearances Vidic has the highest win percentage out of any other player with the figure of 72%.  In the 2011/12 season stats showed that when Manchester United had Vidic fit and able their win percentage was 80% and without him it was only 61.9%.  When someone on the team can make that much difference, they become a very important person indeed.

Since 2010 Vidic has captained the United side and with the leaky goal form they have been in this season, they will be looking to have their star man fit for the start of the 2013/14 season.  The last time Sir Alex Ferguson lifted the FA Cup was in 2004 and with the backing of the board and a healthy budget this summer it will be likely he will be going for more than just the one piece of silverware next season.

Vidic has been through the wars, literally, but has a good few seasons in him yet to lead Manchester United to more glory.

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Team News

Manchester City have no fresh injury concerns, other than Scott Sinclair who was admitted to hospital at the weekend to treat a blood clot on his shoulder. Carlos Tevez could start up front after being benched for the goalless draw at Swansea.

West Brom are likely to name an unchanged team to the one that lost at home to Wigan on Saturday. Captain Chris Brunt (knee) and Goran Popov (calf) are still out, while Marc-Antoine Fortune serves the second of a three-match ban.

Roberto Mancini pre-game…“But we need to play these games and for us it is important to win. It would be better to have one week (of unbroken preparation). But we play Wigan and it is the same for them. Then we have four days to prepare.” (Daily Mail)

Steve Clarke pre-game…“We’re ­determined to go and make up for the Wigan result. It’s a good game against the champions of last season. There is no pressure on us – people don’t expect us to get a good result there. The squad is a bit stretched but we’ll try to get a team to compete because they have a squad which is packed with internationals and quality.” (Mirror)

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Match Statistic: Shane Long’s goal in October’s reverse fixture is the only time West Brom have scored against City in five matches. 

Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 West Bromwich Albion

You have to give it to Pep Guardiola: he really knows how to make a player feel valued. If Bayern Munich get this deal done for Thiago – and the overdrive in the story this morning seems to indicate they will – it will signal another eye watering acquisition by a club who it was previously thought could get no stronger.

So would this represent a bad move for Thiago if he was to choose Bavaria over Manchester? Well not really. Guardiola wouldn’t buy him for the sake of it. Remember, it was Guardiola who coached him in the Barcelona B team, and it was Guardiola who brought him up into the senior team and offered him his first real steps in the big leagues.

There’s no doubt about the seat of power on offer for the player at Manchester United. The club have long been on the hunt/in need of a player of Thiago’s quality. He could run the club’s midfield well into the future and would have the platform to force his way into the Spanish national team, even though his talent merits a place in the future anyway.

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But how many players can turn down Bayern Munich, even more so with Guardiola as their manager? There wouldn’t be any worry from the player’s perspective as to where he’d fit in. The indication always seemed to be that Guardiola would push Javi Martinez into the centre-back position, addressing the problem of Holgar Badstuber’s absence through injury and also adding that ball-playing defender into the team. It’s no secret that Guardiola is an admirer of Martinez in the centre-back position. The manager was a fan of Marcelo Bielsa’s use of him there during Athletic Bilbao’s unforgettable run in the Europa League and Copa Del Rey, and the two managers’ friendship would also have played a part in Guardiola opting for this change at Bayern.

Moreover, there is the likelihood of Bayern switching to a three-man midfield, with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Thiago, and Mario Goetze playing the false nine. The depth in midfield and attack would make Bayern favourites to land another European Cup next season, while youngsters like Emre Can will also be pushing for a place in the team.

There’s clearly a plan in place from Guardiola’s point of view and Bayern won’t stand in his way if he wants to bring in his own ideas. If the Catalan is targeting Thiago, it’s with a clear purpose in mind. The midfielder is already said to have spoken with the new Bayern manager and Guardiola, per his most recent press conference, has made the Bayern board aware of his desire to bring Thiago to the Allianz.

Were it to be a case of Barcelona or Manchester United then there is only one choice for the midfielder. Even with Neymar on board at the Camp Nou, Thiago’s path to regular first-team football would be restricted. Remember, Thiago was allowed to play in the centre of midfield due to Andres Iniesta or Cesc Fabregas filling in on the left flank through David Villa’s absence. Neymar, like Lionel Messi, is not in the business of missing games, no matter how insignificant they are.

Manchester United are also, for now at least, not on the same plateau as Bayern. The Bundesliga outfit have dominated Europe in much the same way Guardiola’s Barcelona did, certainly with more power and an equal yet distinctly German characterisation to their aggression. Thiago would be foolish not to go and pair up with Guardiola once again. The player will certainly ask himself what United and the Premier League can offer that is as exciting as the growing reputation of the Bundesliga and the current best team in Europe.

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Would Thiago be making a mistake if he chose Bayern over Man United?

Join the debate below

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Fix up or get out.

If you look closely enough, Gary Lineker can still replicate that expression.

Usually he reserves it for an uncomfortable spot of live television during the Olympics or even the sight of one of Mark Lawrenson’s adventurous dress shirts on the Match of the Day sofa, but it is impossible to forget where the former Leicester City and England striker first found that particular look.

It came nine minutes into extra-time of England’s World Cup semi-final against West Germany on a warm night in Turin in 1990. Lineker, like millions of captive eyes across the world, watched with mute horror as a young Paul Gascoigne- England’s 23 young tyro – produced a tired two-footed lunge on Thomas Berthold and deservedly received the booking that ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.

Despite being a footnote on England’s penalty exit, the 23-year-old’s resultant tears made the papers the following morning, but it was Lineker’s grimace- often captured in the background of Gascoigne’s personal agony- that echoes with particular relevance today.

The news that Gascoigne- a million miles away from his footballing nadir in Turin- has been fined £1,000 after admitting to a drunken train station assault earlier this month, is no longer surprising nor, sadly, overly newsworthy.

The first decade of Gascoigne post-football, much like his final years as a professional, has been a sad parody of his tabloid persona. Tales of meat pies, cat droppings and late night takeaway brawls replaced those sporadic, iconic, moments of quality for once he was known. Where once he could balance these exploits with a glorious piece of skill on a Saturday afternoon, he now needs acclaim to be able to walk to the shops.

The truth, however you dress it, is that Gascoigne never recovered from that night in Turin.

Paul Merson- a disciple of the ‘Tuesday Club’ drinking culture at Arsenal in the late 80s and early 90s shares similar wild stories to those attributed to Gascoigne, however the key difference being that ‘Merse’ has managed to pull himself out of his funk and into gainful employment.

‘Gazza’ has pointedly failed to do either.

It is with some irony that Gascoigne’s latest downward spiral has coincided with ESPN’s decision to pull the plug on ESPN Classic- the broadcaster’s nostalgic TV mantelpiece. The channel- a common port of call for drunken students and insomniacs- acted as a constant time capsule where, in true Bill Murray- Andie MacDowell fashion, it was forever June 1996 and Gascoigne’s last great moments in an England shirt were relived in glorious sunshine.

Perhaps Gascoigne, now one of those drunken revellers, has himself sat in front of the screen at 3am reviewing that moment during Euro 1996 that his agonising slide failed to convert Alan Shearer’s pinpoint cross and catapult England into a first major final in 30 years. 17 years later, we’re still waiting.

It seems sad that a new generation will no longer be able to stumble across Gascoigne’s peculiar charms on a satellite backwater- even more so because they won’t be grabbed by his statistics in the record books.

You see, Paul Gascoigne’s enduring appeal was never about numbers. Players whose careers are cherished for their aesthetic qualities rarely are. Tottenham fans will talk about his free-kick against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final rather than his career-threatening kamikaze tackling that followed in the final.

Rangers supporters speak about his creative renaissance that spelled domestic domination in the mid-1990s rather than his sectarian flute celebration that courted controversy and ire.

And England followers will forever remember that goal against Scotland in 1996 rather than his hotel room meltdown after failing to make Glenn Hoddle’s 1998 World Cup squad.

Perhaps wrongly, we have always chosen to remember the best of Gascoigne wherever possible. His heartfelt honesty and vulnerability as he staggered around the Stadio delle Alpi with his England shirt yanked up from his navel bought him that much.

However, with no new football memories to enjoy, the Dunston-born entertainer is well and truly out of credit.

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A group of celebrity friends and admirers paid for the cash-strapped Gascoigne to undergo a course of rehab in the US earlier this year, yet at no point was there any confidence that his personal torment was at an end.

For every George Best style story- and Gascoigne’s slippery slope continues to echoes that cautionary tale- there are unlikely stories of a substance-abusing phoenix emerging from the flames.

Yet, no one appears to see this as a remotely plausible end to the story.

When Lineker returns our screens with Match of the Day later this month, watch closely for that familiar fleeting grimace when he is forced to talk of young current players treading Gascoigne’s path. You’ll recognise it, whether ‘Gazza’ will too is a different story.

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West Ham striker Carlton Cole is hoping to make his first start for the club since resigning as a free agent on Tuesday as his side travel to Championship side Burnley for the Capital One Cup.

The English forward was released at the end of last season, but was offered a contract by manager Sam Allardyce after the Hammers’ slow start to the Premier League season.

With injuries to Ricardo Vaz Te and Andy Carroll, Cole is hoping to lead the line for the London club in their Capital One Cup contest. Speaking to Sky Sports, the 29-year-old expressed his desire to prove himself for the full 90 minutes:

“Everyone knows I need minutes for match fitness. Sunday was a good start on my way to recovery. I’m now hoping to get the minutes and the goals to get us through to the next round if I can.” said Cole.

“I’m chuffed to get back and to be involved in it again. Any footballer will tell you that have to work hard and the manager has noticed that I was working hard and has given me a new deal. Hopefully I can push on from here and add to the team and play a significant role.”

But the Englishman could have his work cut out if he does feature for the Upton Park side, who face Sky Bet Championship leaders Burnley. The Lancashire outfit have won 10 of their 13 league matches this season, as they look to get back into the Premier League under manager Sean Dyche.

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Heading into the January window, David Moyes and Manchester United have once again been linked with a move for Leighton Baines, reigniting the interest and failed bids from the summer.

Baines, having just turned 29, is widely considered a good target for United, a player who’s Premier League ready and able to make an immediate impact. But United are not looking for a player to make an immediate impact in that part of the team; Patrice Evra is the only constant of United’s ever-changing back four and has consistently put in good performances this season. The issue for the club isn’t the now.

Another target for many of the top clubs in the Premier League is Luke Shaw, who Southampton will battle to keep a hold of until the summer. Shaw, at 18, has already displayed excellent maturity at the highest level of English football and is destined to be a regular in the England national team for the next decade.

What the Southampton youngster also represents is an overhauling of an aging squad at Old Trafford, with Evra, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic now in their thirties. Alongside David de Gea, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Rafael, Shaw would be able to supplement a long-term base in the United back line – surely an attractive proposition for a club who have brought in a manager for the long haul. Baines simply doesn’t offer that value moving into the future.

But if Moyes found difficulty in prying Baines from Everton during the summer, the task will be of even greater difficulty in January if the club look to Shaw. Southampton are clearly not in need of selling one of their greatest assets, and even though Shaw will eventually move to one of the bigger clubs in England, the Saints are in no mood to negotiate his transfer at this stage of his career. For both Shaw and Southampton, the thinking will surely be that the left-back has a lot left to learn and offer the club.

United may find some joy in taking him in the summer, though. Chelsea are hovering and there is more than likely to be a bidding war for the youngster’s signature once the season concludes – exactly the scenario Southampton will want.

What should also be said about Shaw is that he looks to be excelling at both ends of the pitch. He has the makings of a well-rounded left-back who is capable of providing both defensively and in attack. With Baines, you don’t always get that. The Everton left-back is deadly from set pieces and offers a lot going forward. Defending, however, isn’t normally seen as his strongpoint. It’s also worth mentioning that he, despite his reputation in the Premier League, is yet to displace Ashley Cole permanently in the England setup.

United’s aim is to help Moyes build a strong squad for the future. Alex Ferguson has assembled very good defensive players to help that cause, but there will of course need to be a similar line of thinking. Baines simply does not fall in line with the building that needs to take place at the club. It won’t be too long before United find themselves in exactly the same situation of looking for a left-back to replace Baines.

For now, Baines is an attractive target and one that makes sense for the club’s immediate future. But a player like Shaw will prove to be far more beneficial to Manchester United, even with an inflated price tag.

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Southampton hero Matt Le Tissier believes that Luke Shaw has a good chance of moving ahead of Ashley Cole to claim a spot in England’s World Cup squad.

The teenage Saints star was recently called up for the Three Lions’ upcoming friendly with Denmark, and is set make his senior international debut in the run up to the showpiece tournament.

Shaw has been a revelation for the Hampshire club over the course of the last year, with his rampaging displays having made him a key first-team player despite his age.

With Leighton Baines almost certain to make Roy Hodgson’s final selection, it is likely that there will be one more left-back slot up for grabs.

The experienced Ashley Cole is currently the favourite to occupy the last void, but Shaw is now firmly in the running.

With the Chelsea veteran no longer a Premier League regular, Le Tissier feels that Shaw has a real chance of moving ahead in the battle to make it onto the plane:

“By picking Shaw, it is a clue to how Roy Hodgson is thinking,” He is quoted by The Metro.

“I think if Cole doesn’t play regularly for Chelsea from now until the end of the season, Shaw has a great chance to make the World Cup team.

“I would definitely take Shaw instead of Cole, if the Chelsea defender isn’t playing for his club.

“I think Shaw is ready for England. He looks mature for an 18-year-old from the performances I’ve seen,

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“He looks like he will be England’s full-back for many years to come. It is important to get the young lads involved early. If you are of top quality, it shouldn’t matter how old you are.”

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Even though they trail the Premier League’s summit by six points and have been in underwhelming for of late, Manchester City’s title rivals have been talking up their credentials. And it’s little wonder why, with the Sky Blues possessing, arguably, the best squad and first XI in the league. Wherever you look, the Etihad Stadium side have depth, strength and passion, and their win at Hull may not have been classy, but it did illustrate why they are the dominant force. These three points back up our statement…

They can win ugly

They say winning when you don’t play well wins titles and illustrates strength, and that is just what City did. After Kompany was sent off it looked like the juggernauts may struggle, but they dug in and secured three points with a numerical disadvantage.

https://vine.co/v/Mb0EQan011K/embed/simple

Individual brilliance

Down to 10 men, City needed something special to get their afternoon back on track. Then right on cue, David Silva stepped up with a wonderful curling effort. https://vine.co/v/Mb0VegLAhAe/embed/simple

Goal-scorers

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Even with Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo not featuring, City can still call upon a top class striker in Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian may not have hit the heights expected of him at the Etihad Stadium, but he can find the net when needed. https://vine.co/v/MbEDmn6JwFD/embed/simple

Arsene Wenger’s relaxed, gregarious character and the setting of Brazil’s beaches were deceptive.

Here was the Arsenal manager in out-of-office mode, seemingly happy to allow domestic rival clubs to bolster their squads unchallenged and create an impression that this was the same old song Arsenal fans had forced to listen to for the best part of the last decade.

But we’re now 18 days on from Alexis Sanchez’s signing at Arsenal. It didn’t come as a nervy deadline day deal like high-profile signings of the past, nor can it be said that the club were lucky to stumble upon the Chilean’s availability as, reportedly, they did with Mesut Ozil a year ago.

It’s long been known that Alexis would move on from Barcelona. Luis Suarez’s signing added to that. But in Alexis, Arsenal were targeting a player not too dissimilar in playing style to that of Barcelona’s newly-signed Uruguayan forward, a player Wenger openly chased during last summer’s transfer period. There’s far too much at play here for Alexis’ signing in north London to be a spur of the moment deal.

And the club haven’t sat back on that deal either. They’ve ridden the wave of optimism and renewed faith by signing Mathieu Debuchy and David Ospina, and with Calum Chambers set to be announced soon.

These aren’t just middle-of-the-road additions, as has been described of the club’s signings in the past. Debuchy, able to keep Bacary Sagna out of the France team and with the requisite Premier League experience to comfortably replace Sagna, is a good piece of business; Ospina had a fantastic World Cup with Colombia, and landing the former Nice goalkeeper for £3.2m is a bargain in the modern market; while Chambers is a highly-rated prospect for the future that comes with the bonus of having 21 Premier League appearances under his belt.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Latest transfer news

All of that and July isn’t over.

Wenger’s ‘stubbornness’ may not hold as much water now as it did in the past. There were conflicting stories coming out of the club as to the manager’s financial ability in the market: he was said to have the resources available to him to land whichever player he deemed necessary for the progress of the team, while Wenger himself maintained that a watchful eye and great restraint had to be held with regards to the club’s budget. In 2012, the manager stated the club needed to make £15-20m each summer as a means to help pay off the debts.

Evidently what we’re seeing now is that if the money is there, Wenger will spend.

In 2009, the club had come off a humbling season in which they’d fallen well short of the performances put together in the 2007-08 season. Quality signings were needed in multiple areas of the pitch, but only Thomas Vermaelen arrived from Ajax for £10.5m. The following summer, Laurent Koscielny was the club’s biggest signing, arriving from FC Lorient for £10m and joined by Sebastien Squillaci, £5m from Sevilla, and Marouane Chamakh, free from Bordeaux.

It wasn’t a perverse act on the manager’s part, although it was easy to be engulfed by the feeling at the time, such was the growing frustration among the support. It’s no coincidence that those deals happened in a period where the club were mired in financial limitations due to the new stadium, and much higher quality signings like Ozil and Alexis have taken place either on the brink of new sponsorship deals or on the dawn of those announcements.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Latest transfer news

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Let’s not drift too far away and into a state of utmost romanticism. Wenger still likes to do things his way and he does have his shortcomings. Persistent injuries, generally of the same type, to almost all members of the squad, past and present, are no accident. Nor are the heavy defeats.

But on the transfer front, the proof is there for us to see: Wenger will spend if he has the means. There’s a new confidence about the way the club have gone about their business thus far, akin to that of a film director who put together his first film on a budget of £25,000, only to be given licence over a £25m budget later in his career. It’s not really profligacy, and there’s no harm in throwing cash around if it’ll make the project better.

There’s still a month a change left of this transfer window. But Wenger is quickly laying to rest the wide-held belief that Arsenal’s frustrations in the market have been all of his own making.

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Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has admitted he is honoured to be handed the No.19 shirt at Villa Park, the shirt previously worn by Stiliyan Petrov.

The number 19 shirt was retired for a season after the former Villa captain was diagnosed with leukemia.

However Bent has now been issued the number after the Bulgarian ace returned to fitness following his battle with the blood disease.

The striker said: “Obviously No.19 carries a big significance because of Stiliyan. It’s a real honour to wear it.

“It’s a fantastic feeling. I will try and do the shirt proud and do as well as I can in it.

“What a great player Stiliyan was – he’s a top bloke too. He was superb – a brilliant midfielder and a real leader in that dressing room.

“It was awful to see what he had to go through and it was terrible to see his career cut short but he won the real battle.

“He’s still around the place. I see him at the training ground quite regularly. We still speak on the phone regularly.

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“He told me to look after the shirt – and I promised him I would.”

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