For Thursday's thoughts from ex Blade Alex Sabella, he ponders his reaction to the question, 'How did coming to England change your career?' and talks about his fellow Argentine imports of the time...

"It was a very important step in my life and it helped me mature a lot, especially away from the game, because living far away from my country required me to change cultures. It made my personality and character stronger even though by then - at 23 when I arrived - your character is more or less defined. On the pitch I had to change my game to play a different type of football, the higher speed it was played at being a big factor. I had a chance to play in the second division and also the first division so I was lucky because there was a big difference between the two leagues.

"The second was slower and tough, but the first was just as tough yet quicker, and the opposition a lot better because of the money spent on players and managers. Although Ricky Villa and Ardiles went to Tottenham at more or less the same time the contact was little because we were all playing and training on the same days 160 miles or so apart.

"I liked to go from work to home and home to work, working with and talking to the managers Harry Haslam and Danny Bergara (Uruguayan) , whilst Oscar Arce (also Uruguayan) lived 40 metres away and I passed a lot of time with him. They helped me a lot at first and the relationship with Danny and Arce made up for not seeing much of the Spurs players. Then Pedro Verde, uncle of Seba Veron, came to United and lived in Oscar's house when he left.

"I spent time with Villa and Ardiles, and kept in touch with home through reading a newspaper from Argentina - called The Graphical. Currently, I still don't have contact with Ardiles because he moves across the world, but Villa watched Estudiantes play at home this season. I don't see them much because of my commitments but I respect them a lot."

Currently manager of Estudiantes, champions of South America, Alex will be with his team at Bramall Lane this Sunday when they take on the Blades in a friendly at 4pm.

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