Dimitar Berbatov has revealed he tried to put himself in Wayne Rooney 's shoes when his former teammate handed in a transfer request at Manchester United.
The England international asked to leave the Old Trafford club twice, once in 2010 and again in 2015.
Rooney would end up staying on both occasions as he was handed bumper deals that persuaded him to stay put.
When a player declares he wants out, similar to Harry Kane with Spurs this week, the knock-on effect on the dressing room can be profound if it's not dealt with in the right way.
And Berbatov, who starred for United between 2018 and 2012, says when Rooney handed his first transfer request in, it was important the players didn't judge him and try to see the situation from his perspective so it didn't negatively impact the team.
He told Betfair: "Transfer requests are a normal thing in football, players want to leave clubs.
"I was at Manchester United when one of the biggest names in football at the time, Wayne Rooney wanted to leave and handed in a transfer request.
"There were a lot of questions about why he wanted to go at the time and there was a lot of speculation, but in the dressing room you try to understand motives behind something like this and you don't ask about it.
"You just try to put yourself in the player's situation and see things from their side.
"As a player you can't pay too much attention to these things and get distracted by it because it can affect your own game and performance.
"Moments like this can bring tension to a team which is why you shouldn't focus too much on it, you can only hope that it gets resolved as quickly as possible for the good of the team."
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