'We felt like a brotherhood' - Sir Alex Ferguson's Christmas tradition that left Manchester United stars in stitches

Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's Christmas tradition helped cultivate the sense of a 'brotherhood' among his players, according to Dimitar Berbatov.

The former United forward previously shared how Sir Alex Ferguson and his staff would serve the players their food at Christmas in the club's canteen. This was a break from the usual hierarchy at the club, done to spread some festive cheer.

Christmas Day can be tough for professional footballers as they often have to train and stay away from their families to prepare for a Boxing Day match. But Berbatov said that Christmas was always special at United and traditions were valued.

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"As a footballer, Christmas means more games and if you're lucky and your team are doing well it means more wins, more goals and more celebration," Betfair ambassador Berbatov said.

"This is how it is in England, there are many games, it means more football than lunch or dinner with your family, that's for sure.

"It's great for the fans to watch more football, but for the players it can be a tough time, especially with all the games, it is easy to get tired when you play so many games around Christmas time, especially if you have no depth in your squad you can easily get fatigued which can lead to injuries and then your mood isn't the greatest, trust me.

"When I was at Manchester United, this time of year was always special. We would train then afterwards go to the canteen for Christmas dinner and Sir Alex and the staff would serve us the food."

He added: "It was a nice tradition, we all