Vidic gives Manchester City duo the cold shoulder ahead of derby

              

Vidic gives Manchester City duo the cold shoulder ahead of derby

The Manchester United captain is good friends with fellow Serbs Aleksandar Kolarov and Matija Nastasic but insists that he will not communicate with them before Monday's match

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has announced that he will not speak with fellow Serbians Aleksandar Kolarov and Matija Nastasic before facing the Manchester City duo on Monday.

The veteran centre-back is good friends with his countrymen but their commitment to his team's great rivals means that contact will have to wait until after the Premier League derby, into which the Red Devils come 15 points clear at the top of the table.

"I never speak with an opponent before a game," Vidic told reporters.

"I am good friends Kolarov and Nastasic but I don't like to talk. I like to go there and do it.

"On game day I think about the game; I don't waste energy before the game starts, otherwise you end up tired."

Vidic has the highest win percentage of any United player to have made over 60 appearances for the club - up to nearly 72 per cent following Saturday's 1-0 victory at Sunderland - and he is impressed with the depth of analysis in the modern game.

"Now we have the opportunity to see statistics with the analyst after every game," the defender continued. "You can see how many tackles or headers you have won. You can look at certain things and see where you can improve. Even the passing rate, you can see the percentage you have got right.

"But it is not just the stats, it is the clips as well. I love to watch them. Not every player looks but you have the chance to - and I do."