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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Steven Railston

Gerard Pique was mocked by Manchester United's dressing room with brutal first-team prank

Gerard Pique was forced to name 'the best and worst' players at Manchester United after signing for the club.

Although Pique spent his youth in Barcelona's academy, he declined the chance to sign a professional contract at the Nou Camp after favouring a move to Old Trafford. United didn't pay a fee for Pique and he joined the club in 2004 aged just 17.

Pique made his full United debut in the FA Cup in 2005 but he would eventually fail to establish himself as a first-team regular. After talks with Sir Alex Ferguson, Pique signed for Barcelona in 2008 after making 23 appearances for United.

ALSO READ: Manchester United weighing up Frenkie de Jong transfer.

Pique has now reflected on his four years spent at United and he's revealed a brilliant anecdote about when he first signed. The Spaniard was made to name 'the best and worst' players in the dressing room as part of his initiation into the squad.

"He [Ferguson] was like a second Dad, I always said that," Pique told Sky Bet's The Overlap. "He gave you that sense of trust, everything you needed, he was there. He wasn't just a coach. The first time I met him, I realised I had to make the move. It was a big change and I realised that when I arrived. In Sale, I started to live with an English family.

"They were very helpful to me but the food wasn't the same, the weather wasn't the same and my English wasn't perfect. They were a lot of changes at 17 years old. I decided to come alone, my parents were working and I didn't want them to leave their work.

"I remember, in Barcelona with the U19s, we had just one pitch to play on. When I arrived in Manchester at Carrington, we had so many pitches and the grass was perfectly cut. On of my first days in the dressing room, you all played a game with me.

"I had to say who was the best and worst player of the team! It was one of the toughest things, I had to stand up on the table. That was my initiation, that was horrible and I don't remember what I said."

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