A United director and elder statesman of the English game who has written two majestic volumes of an autobiography with James Lawton (the latest is My England Years), Charlton is most loquacious when his gaze falls on the Old Trafford pitch below our vantage point facing the Stretford End. His discourse on the complicatedly gifted Berbatov is a revealing masterclass in analysis by a former deep-roving forward who himself struck 249 times in 758 appearances for United and still holds the England goalscoring record of 49.
Studying the many nuances of individual talent is almost an academic discipline at Old Trafford and soon Charlton is off and running: "I'm still learning about Berbatov. I watched him at Tottenham and I thought he was in charge of his own destiny, that he made the right decisions. But playing for Man United is a bit more demanding. You're expected not just to do all the great things you're good at but also your share of the dirty work - which is chasing back to regain possession, helping your defenders if you're close enough to help.
"Berbatov is a one-off. First of all I was very critical of him, to myself, thinking, 'Look at that. As soon as he loses the ball he stops running and starts walking, as if to say "somebody else'll do it".' And I thought, 'He must be a good player if he can afford to do that'.
"It's been gradual. In these last few games I've understood his really great skill, his awareness, and his physical strength at holding people off. Not only that, when he passes he always makes it easy for you. He always gives it perfectly. Everything is so, so precise. Add to that, he's got his control and when he gets round the goal he wants to score.
"I've changed my mind since I first saw him. He's a massive talent. Really. And he's in the right place. If he can perform on a regular basis he's in the right place here because it's just what the fans here like and the people at Man United expect.
"He's frustrating sometimes. Instinctively I think if I've lost the ball I want to chase after it. I want to make up for the mistake I've made. Maybe like George Best you've got to accept him for what he is. Cantona had that arrogance. But he did his fair share of the work. I'd never complain about Cantona in that respect. He was sensational, and he had an influence. Given that bit of time and space that Berbatov seems to be finding now, he'll get better and better."
The conversation is really about what constitutes a Manchester United player: that special compound of physical courage, resilience, insatiable zeal. Berbatov, like Eric Cantona before, exists on the borderline where maverick instincts meet the collective will.
"He realises where he is now and it's big," he says. "You can eat, sleep and breathe this place when you're on that pitch. He potentially can be one of the great, great players. He has a touch and an awareness that are fantastic. He keeps people away from him so they don't interfere with his plan. He'll try impossible balls. The general run-of-the-mill pass isn't difficult. But he's a step further on. He works for you. You don't have to think. I'd have enjoyed playing with him, but I'd have been arguing with him. A lot. If you've got people running backward and forward and you're responsible [for them having to do it] it's not right. But he's learned. You're not allowed many mistakes, and you can't be casual. You can't be casual.
"I've criticised him, inside myself, and thought that for the money we paid for him we ought to be getting a little bit more. But you can see now where he's going."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...bobby-charlton
