This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

Speaking to The Athletic, former Manchester United man Zoran Tosic has opened up on why his career at Old Trafford didn't pan out.

What did he say?

The Serbia international joined the Red Devils back in November 2008 from Partizan Belgrade, but failed to make a significant impression at the club, playing just five times and not scoring at all.

Now, the 32-year-old has admitted the intensity and quality of the training at United was a culture shock, and revealed he knew he wasn't at the rest of the squad's level.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed...

He said: "I was put straight into the first-team squad and the levels were so high that it felt like another sport. It was very heavy for me in those first weeks in Manchester. The ball moved so quickly in training, the quality was top, top, level. Nobody lost the ball. Except me. I was trying my best but it wasn’t enough. This wasn’t the football I knew.

"I thought I could play for United but there was a reason I was not at their level. These players lived the football life at the top. (Ryan) Giggs was 36, (Paul) Scholes 34. They trained at 200 per cent. They lived football 24 hours. It was a big surprise to me to see them do this, a big lesson. They were on bikes before training and in the gym after."

Eye-opener

Tosic's admission that the levels at training went up by a few notches from what he was used to is rather unsurprising. Sir Alex Ferguson's side were dominating the Premier League and Champions League at the time, and had star-studded players all over the pitch.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

More than anything however, the Serbian's revelations are an eye-opener into the standards set by those who have reached the very top of the game, but continue to strive to remain there. The likes of Giggs and Scholes were in the twilight stages of their career, but their professionalism and dedication to the craft ensured they could compete at the very highest level. It is an incredible lesson that the current crop of United players would do well to emulate.