Ex-Rostov man David Bentley warns Man Utd not to underestimate 'difficult' trip

08 March 2017 09:38

David Bentley - the first Englishman to play in the Russian Premier League - believes Manchester United could come a cropper at his former club Rostov if complacency has seeped in during the long journey east.

A sell-out crowd will greet United for the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at the old-fashioned Olimp-2 stadium - an uncompromising venue where continental giants Bayern Munich and Ajax have lost this season.

Thursday will see Jose Mourinho's men become the first English club to face Rostov on the European stage, albeit others from the British Isles have made the trip to this footballing outpost.

Paul Ashworth spent a spell as sports director, and briefly interim coach, in 2005 and seven years later eyebrows were raised when Spurs winger Bentley headed to Rostov on a short-term loan deal.

"Fifteen months on from doing my knee on loan at West Ham, I was looking to get away from England," Bentley explained to Press Association Sport.

"My agent said, 'Look, Rostov, a team in Russia, have come forward'.

"The chance to be first Englishman to play in Russia was really the thing that excited me - a unique experience.

"It was good in Rostov. The people there were professional and helped me out. Nice people.

"All the preconceptions you have of Russia go out of the window. It is quite a nice place.

"The ground is like an old English stadium. It has got one sort of main stand, one behind the goal and the rest is sort of at lower-tier stadium.

"The new one for the World Cup looks amazing but, yeah, the stadium will be a difficult place for Manchester United.

"They can't underestimate the team for one minute. They have done well, beating Bayern, and no-one really knows them."

While Bentley is far from a Russian football aficionado after such a brief stay, it is an unusual chapter that the ex-Arsenal, Norwich and Blackburn man remembers fondly.

"I learned a lot about life, really," said the retired 32-year-old, who this week moved back to England having spent several years in Spain with his family.

"Meeting and playing in a different country gives you a whole new perspective of the foreign players that I've played with in the past.

"You know what they have had to give up because English players we can be very sheltered.

"We are very privileged in where we are from, we get to earn great money, get to live a great life, so there's not many English players that take themselves out of their comfort zone to a different environment.

"It actually gives you the respect for the foreign players that come over here and also in society.

"From a lifestyle point of view, it was brilliant. Whether it was the best decision for football, I don't know, but certainly I learned a lot about myself.

"I went there and totally dedicated myself to training every day and keeping myself fit within the hotel and all the facilities that they had.

"I wanted to do that but my knee after that and my body wasn't quite right, and my head as well.

"That led me to make the decision after that period to retire, so in a way it was a great move to figure things out for myself."

Fan violence has marred Russian football in recent years - significantly before and after its national team's Euro 2016 clash with England in Marseille - but Bentley did not see any such scenes during his seven-game stint with Rostov.

"Have you got your riot gear on?" the winger said, breaking into laughter, having seen Rostov fans feature in a recent documentary about Russian hooligans.

"I am joking. I tell you what, I never saw any of that over there. I never saw any problems."

And rather than warning off the 238 hardy United fans heading to Russia, Bentley only has travel advice - and song suggestions.

"It is quite an interesting place to see," added Bentley, who is now focusing on his business interests, player-management and punditry.

"I walked around every day. There's a beautiful tree-lined boulevard with cafes and bars off it and down by the river is nice.

"It's a good city - and they love their karaoke! You would never think it, with the straight Russian stereotype, but it is the biggest thing.

"They love karaoke - every single Russian bar has it. They're all there having a sing-along, singing Robbie Williams. It's brilliant.

"Don't waste your experience. You might as well go join in with a bit of Phil Collins."

Source: PA