Money has been a distraction: Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov has admitted there have been times when the club record ufffd30.75million price tag has weighed him down at Manchester United.

After two mixed seasons at Old Trafford, which saw Berbatov show glimpses of the genius Alex Ferguson referred to in his programme notes ahead of last weekend's encounter with Liverpool, too often the major assessment of the 29-year-old has been one of unfulfilled talent.

It would not have come as any real surprise had Berbatov been unloaded in the summer, nor a lack of regret from the vast majority of United fans. However, after a long wait, Berbatov is finally showing why Ferguson wanted him so badly.



Seven goals already this season have sent him soaring to the top of the Premier League scoring charts, while his match-winning hat-trick against Liverpool last weekendu00a0-- the first by a United player in the fixture since 1946u00a0-- earned him a special place in Red Devils folklore and included a magnificent overhead kick that could easily win the goal of the season prize. For Berbatov, it could go down as the day he was finally freed from his shackles.

A quiet, thoughtful person, Berbatov's life revolves around his family. But, in an exclusive interview with MUTV, the former Tottenham man went some way to lifting the veil of secrecy that surrounds him. "I suppose I am a strange guy but I am shy and maybe some people don't realise that," he said.

"I have a difficulty letting someone else into my inner circle. I tried not to think about it (the fee) but sometimes you just can't help it.

"You start thinking, That's a lot of money, what is going to happen if I don't prove good enough or I don't score enough goals?"

"It was always going through my mind and sometimes it can be bad for your concentration and your skills because it distracts you from the main goal.

"In the end I just have to relax and play. I am playing for the biggest club in the world and that's it ufffd nobody can say anything else."