"As a goalkeeper at United, I had Schmeichel, Mark Bosnich and Barthez all ahead of me. Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and to establish yourself as a number one there at 18 was fairly impossible. "

"I got a few chances, like the game in Brazil, but Alex Ferguson was straight with me and said it was going to be very hard. He told me I could try, but he was always going to be looking to buy.

"I said 'fair enough, I would like to try, but I would like to do it on my own somewhere else".

"It wasn't that I didn't want to compete - I just thought I needed games and at United even the reserve team has competition."

Radchubka therefore left for a new challenge and was happy enough taking the Charlton chance, when he left for £200,000. He played himself in to being Dean Kiely's number two and hoped at the beginning of last season, with Kiely suspended he would get the chance. Sadly for Paul, glandular fever struck!

"The virus really knocked me back and so I had to start again from scratch. I was ill for a week, then I had a rest when you can't do anything, and then gradually build it up a notch again. But you can never go too far because you'll end back up at square one.

Since then Radchubka has been alternating with Ben Roberts as the clubs number two.

But Radchubka is hoping that the Burnley opportunity will give him much needed match practice and he is not here to sit on the bench.

"Burnley is a big club, with a beautiful stadium, just trying to stay in the First Division.

"I want to do everything I can to help them and if that means taking Brian Jensen's shirt, so be it.

"I only met him for the first time in training on Thursday and he seems a nice lad. But I'm here to compete with him.

"That doesn't mean kicking each other because you are there to help each other and do the best you can.

"But it's up to the manager to pick the team on Saturday and I want that to be me."