Barcelona defender Gerard Pique believes that his time at Manchester United was crucial to his development ahead of becoming one of the leading players in his position.

Pique joined the Red Devils as a youngster back in 2004 when he was just 17 and struggled to break into the first team behind established players such as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in his four years at the club.

Pique moved to Barcelona in 2008 and has been a crucial part of their success, but still feels that his spell with the Red Devils and working with Sir Alex Ferguson was a vital part in his career.

The Spaniard is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail: "I moved to Manchester United when I was a 17-year-old kid. Nemanja Vidic was five years older than me and Rio Ferdinand nearly nine years and at the time they were the best central defenders in the world. They never had a bad game.

"I learned so much during my time at United. Sharing a dressing room with Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs at such a young age was an amazing experience. I didn't play as much as I would have liked but it was a masters degree in development both as a player and a person.

"I know some have said since that I failed in the Premier League but, although I was in the shadow of two great players, I did contribute. In the 2008 Champions League campaign I played three times and scored two goals. I'll always be grateful to Sir Alex, who was like a second father to me, for letting me move back to Barcelona. He wanted me to stay and fight for a place, but he understood what Barca meant to me."

Pique will be in action later today when his side take on Juventus in the Champions League final in Berlin.