Negredo in line to ‘beast’ Man Utd

Manuel Pellegrini could be ready to set The Beast of Vallecas on Manchester United on Sunday.

Alvaro Negredo is the Beast in question. Vallecas, the largest slum in Madrid and home to Real Vallecano, is where he was born and raised.

An old-fashioned, muscular and powerful English-type centre-forward, Negredo played briefly for Vallecano and was picked up by Real Madrid at 20, but failed to make the breakthrough under Fabio Capello.

His one-in-two goalscoring record at Almeria then Sevilla earned him his £20m summer transfer to Manchester City, teaming him up with Pellegrini, who had monitored his progress in La Liga while manager at Malaga.

“It makes me laugh when they called me the Beast,” he says. “But, yes, I think I am a strong player who can fight and be physical.

“My style suits the game in England, but I also like to believe that I have good technical ability as well.

“It was my team-mates who first started calling me the Beast. It soon became so popular that the media in Spain also started to use the nickname.

“There are some matches where the physical approach is very important and other games where you can show off your skill.”

Negredo has been used mainly as a substitute so far for City this season, with Edin Dzeko getting the nod initially to start up front.

But the newcomer has already shown he can score goals and an extended run in the team can’t be far off.

“I will never get used to being on the bench,” he says.

“But obviously, that’s the same for everyone. We all want to play and only 11 can, and it’s up to the manager to decide.

“I like English football. It’s just what I was expecting a lot of coming and going. The players have so much quality that they can keep the ball and you have to run and run.

“There are lots of changes of possession and it’s very intense. But I am happy, it’s to my tastes and hopefully I will keep getting better.

“I am 28 and at the peak of my form. This is another league and a different style of football but I am very confident I will succeed here.

“Mr Pellegrini is known for the attractive style of his football. That is why he had a long and successful career in Spain.

“It didn’t matter whether he was at Villarreal, Real Madrid or Malaga, his teams always played attacking football and his teams are always dynamic.

“I am sure that it will be even better at City because of the quality of players he now has to work with. The squad is so talented here that the only option is to attack.”