UNITED > ENGLAND

David reckons the seeds of his despondency were sown when England were knocked out of last year’s World Cup by Brazil.

Afterwards he felt tired and desperately disappointed.

He says:
“What I do know is that going out of the World Cup when we did — and how we did — left me with a real hangover into the new season back home.”

“Victoria and I went away for a week soon after the England squad got back to the UK, but even that did nothing to shift my mood.In fact, by the end of the week, Victoria had had about enough.”

He adds:
“She didn’t need to tell me it was unfair on her. In the past I’d always tried to make sure that I didn’t take work home with me, didn’t get moody with my family when things weren’t going well for me, for whatever reason, at United.”

“But this was different. And when it came time to start pre-season training, I was still feeling the same, like I hadn’t had a break at all: tired, heavy legs, no spark.”

“It was all wrong. My job isn’t a job at all. It’s not nine to five, is it?.It’s not going down a mine or driving a lorry all day long.Playing football, training, is what I love doing and I knew I shouldn’t have been feeling like I did: as if I didn’t really want to be there, back at United already and with a new season about to get under way.”

David says a heart to heart with Victoria, 29, helped him to finally get back on track.