Telles: The two languages that unite United

Alex Telles, too. The left-back, who celebrates his 29th birthday today, has been in fine form, and has further bolstered the ranks of Portuguese and Brazilian first-teamers.

 

But the multilingual make-up of our dressing room has long intrigued fans, arguably since the days of an unlikely alliance between Patrice Evra (France), Ji-sung Park (South Korea) and Carlos Tevez (Argentina).

How does Manchester-born Marcus Rashford converse with Belo Horizonte's Fred, for instance? What words does our new German interim manager Ralf Rangnick use to get his point across to the Ivorian Eric Bailly?

Well, in a recent interview for Inside United, the club's official magazine, Telles opened up on just how the dressing room functions on the language front.

 

“I think English and Spanish unite everyone,” explained Alex. “We Portuguese and Spanish speakers are always together. 

 

“There's a great relationship between all the players and I'm really happy to be part of a dressing room where everyone gets on so well. We're always united, whichever country we come from or whatever language we speak.”

But Telles admitted that the Portuguese-speaking group spend a lot of time together away from the pitch, and do have a special bond. He even believes that it helps them maintain a more intimate footballing relationship when they combine on the field.

 

And recent evidence seems to suggest that's certainly true. 

 

Six of United's last nine goals in all competitions have been scored by players hailing from either Portugal or Brazil, while Diogo Dalot has regularly been coming to the fore with key passes in the build-up to goals.

“It's a lot easier to speak Portuguese with Diogo, Bruno, Fred, Cris and other players here who speak Portuguese,” says Telles.

 

“So the connection is a lot easier on the pitch for us to understand each other better, and we naturally have a closer relationship.”

But it's not just language that is helping the Portuguese drive the Reds forward – there's another secret weapon: Uno.

 

Yes, the popular card game is a big hit with Telles, Bruno and co, and is a big factor behind their friendships, according to the left-back.

 

“Bruno and Diogo are incredible players,” smiled our no.27. "I played with Diogo at Porto, so I'm good friends with him.

 

“Bruno's a great friend, amazing player. We always play these games; it's a great relationship.”