Given that Nemanja Vidic has previously experienced living in such exotic locations as Moscow and Belgrade it is somewhat surprising that the Serb - whose homeland is another destination hardly renowned for boasting a tropical climate - is so depressed at life in Manchester. Yet his reservations about living in England's third city may be shared by a few of his colleagues at Old Trafford.
F365 has heard of one Manchester United player - accustomed to a far warmer climate - who has caused structural damage to his city-centre pad in his extravagant attempt to ward off the north-west chill. As the player - who is not named Cristiano - is insistent on wearing beach shorts and flip-flops throughout the year no matter the weather outside, the heating remains on full blast 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The result is that cracks have literally started to appear in the walls...
The grey Manchester climate was also said to be a factor in why Juan Veron failed to shine following his big-money move to the club in 2001. "It is not like London at all," explained his then team-mate Mikael Silvestre. "Manchester is the heartland of England and for a South American it could be quite difficult. Juan Sebastian Veron suffered a lot when he arrived in Manchester. He switched from sunny Rome to grey Manchester."
Nor is life on the outskirts of Manchester necessarily much better. After moving to Blackburn in 1999, Stephane Henchoz memorably observed: "It always seems to be pitch dark by 3.30pm here. There is no language school, nor is there a fitness centre. And if you want to go shopping, there is nothing to buy. When I see the way people live up here, I realise how lucky I am." Such was his relief at escaping Blackburn a year later that he moved back there in 2006.
Shopping was also the concern of the footballer (and his wife) who suffered the wrath of Roy Keane last August when he rejected a move to Sunderland in favour of London. The temperature in the north-east is not to everyone's liking either. Don't expect Kenwyne Jones to finish his career at the Stadium of Light after the striker complained last year, "It's colder than anywhere I've been". And that was in October.
Transport is another frequent consideration for footballers. While Luka Modric reputedly snubbed the Toon because the city's airport did not supply any direct flights to Croatia, legend has it that Rob Lee only agreed to join Newcastle after being assured by Kevin Keegan that it was closer to London than Sunderland. And then there's the case of Robbie Savage ,who successfully agitated for a move from Birmingham to Blackburn in order to "be closer to my family". The Welshman didn't look quite so virtuous when it was pointed out that the difference was a matter of less than ten miles.
Alex Hleb's transport concerns were of an altogether different ilk when the Belarusian explained that he had to leave Arsenal this summer to escape the chaotic and noisy way of life in the English capital. "I'm not a big city man," he declared shortly before moving to Barcelona, Spain's second-biggest city. Conversely, it was concern about the way of life in London that prevented Jens Lehmann leaving Arsenal last year. "Crime levels are really high in London. There are lots of burglaries," said the German as he snubbed a loan move to Stuttgart. "I would not feel comfortable about leaving my wife and children alone there."
The wife was also the cited concern of David Unsworth when he informed then Aston Villa boss John Gregory that he couldn't stay at the club any longer just one month after joining them. Why? "He was told he'd got to be home by one o'clock, or his dinner would be in the bin," an appalled Gregory thundered to the press.
And last but definitely not least, women of a different kind were also the reason why Macedonian Georgi Hristov claimed he couldn't stay in Barnsley after joining the Tykes in the summer of 1999.
"I'm finding it difficult to find a girlfriend in Barnsley, or indeed settle into a decent way of life," he complained to a Belgrade magazine.
"The local girls are far uglier than the ones back in Belgrade or Skopje. Our women are much prettier. Besides, they don't drink as much beer as the Barnsley girls which is something I don't like at all."
"England is a strange country and I found it hard to adapt to living here. The main thing is that I am not on my own. To be honest I expected more of Barnsley as a town and a club."
He didn't stay long either.
PG