Former Manchester United defender David May has opened up about the “12-day bender” which led to him “drinking champagne with a tramp”.

May made 116 appearances for the Red Devils over the course of eight seasons at Old Trafford, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the Champions League. But soon after winning his last league title, he drove out of United’s Carrington training base for the last time, when he was released by the club.

Unfortunately for the central defender, injuries limited his playing time at the club and eventually led to him leaving the club. As it would be for any player departing a club like United, May admitted he struggled to cope with the exit in an astonishingly honest and candid interview.

“I did (cry). I filled up thinking what do I do? My career is over, finished,” May said to United’s official podcast. “I just went on a 12-day bender on my own in my apartment.

“We were celebrating (the league title win) but needed to go to bed so I got a bottle of Krug champagne and left (the party). This tramp was on a bench in the gardens so I walked over and started chatting.

“It must have been around one o’clock in the morning. Me and this tramp ended up drinking the bottle. I gave him the rest of the bottle and that was the start of my 12-day bender.”

That was just the start of a drinking marathon which nearly lasted a whole fortnight. “(The 13th day?) I thought I can’t continue to do this,” he added.

“I need to get home. What I’m doing is wrong.

“That was probably the depression that I needed to get out of myself and I did that by drinking. I went home, went on holiday, got a call from Burnley and went there for 12 months and then retired. So there you go.”

SOURCE: dailystar.co.uk