Speaking to The Times, free agent striker Dimitar Berbatov has admitted that he would be open to a move to Newcastle United. The 35-year-old said that he used to sleep in a black and white Newcastle jersey with Alan Shearer’s name on the back of it. He has been without a club since leaving Greek side PAOK Solonika in June.
His most productive spell in football came during his stay at Manchester United, whom he signed for in 2008 for a fee in the region of £30million from Tottenham Hotspur. At Old Trafford, he won two Premier League titles but said he’d be open to the prospect of trying to add Sky Bet Championship promotion to his playing CV.
One of his other former clubs, Fulham, also play in the English second tier. When asked on the prospect of possibly joining Newcastle if offered a contract by Rafa Benitez, he did not rule out such a move,
“Everything is possible.
“Yes, because Alan Shearer was a hero, still he is a hero of mine, the way he scored the goals and put his hands out, that’s what I used to do when I scored as a tribute to him, just trying to imitate your childhood hero.”
Despite the fact he soon turns 36, the Bulgarian forward says he still has a lot to offer and highlighted Zlatan Ibrahimovic as an inspiration to him,
“I don’t think anyone said that [Ibrahimovic is too old] because he is a player at the top level where the way he plays, he can play for another two years, maybe more.
“He has that class and understanding of the game and also when to push himself and not waste energy, just the right moment at the right time and he’s there scoring goals.
“He has football intelligence and then of course you have Gareth Barry at Everton.
“I tend to watch the older players to see how they are playing and I admire both of them because, at this age, in football, it is very difficult to maintain a high level of performance and for both those players to do this is worthy of admiration.”
