One year on from your move to England, how are you enjoying life at Old Trafford?
It really is home, already! I had the advantage of knowing Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney from the England set-up, so it’s not like I was a stranger coming over who couldn’t speak the language. Plus, the squad at United is like one big family.

Footballers always say that!
Yeah, I know players have to say that, but it’s true for me! The manager is great, the players are great and we’re winning things. When that happens, it really isn’t very hard to settle in.

What’s your take on the Cristiano Ronaldo situation?
I am not sure of all the details, so as a player, I must let the manager and board get on with such things.

You were in a similar position to Ronaldo last summer, wanting a transfer from Bayern Munich to Manchester United…
I really don’t know enough about Cristiano’s situation to compare it to anything else.

Has it taken the gloss off last season’s achievements?
Nothing can take the gloss off last season’s achievements. It was my best season as a player and that goes for most of the other lads, too – apart from the few that are still here from the Treble season in 1999. Even some of them said last season’s European Cup Final win was their best, because it was against another English team and the manner in which we won it.

You’re the only current England international with two Champions League winners’ medals. How does that feel?
It feels fantastic – I just hope it doesn’t end with two! When I look at the manager and the squad we have in place here, I’m certain there is much more to come from us.

You’ve lost assistant manager Carlos Queiroz to Portugal. How big a blow is that?
Carlos was not only very good at his job, but was also very well liked by the lads. We know he wouldn’t have rushed into this decision but, at the end of the day, he had the chance to manage his country, which would have been very hard to turn down. While it’s a loss for us, I’m sure we’ll replace him with another world-class coach. I can’t see it changing the type of football we play.

Has the Premier League been everything you expected?
I think playing for England gave me an advantage before I arrived, as I was training with the country’s top players. Also, if you compare the Bundesliga to the top three leagues in Europe, it is most similar to the Premier League. In Italy, Spain and England, we all play technical football, but in England, you have the physical side as well. Germany is also physical, and when you train with the likes of Stefan Effenberg, you quickly realise that needs to become part of your game if you are to survive on the pitch!

Not so long ago, you were victim of the England boo boys…
That was just a part of life I had to ride through – and I know fans can get frustrated sometimes. It just happened to be me that got the brunt of that frustration, perhaps because I was new and had never played in the Premier League at the time. All I can say is now the England fans are great to me, and I am winning the biggest trophies in European football with United. If you’re asking me if life is good, then the answer is very much yes!

Do you miss Germany at all?
Munich was a great city and I had some friends there, but I am now playing at home, for the greatest football club in the world. I am very fortunate to be able to say there is nowhere I’d rather be.

Do you ever speak to Roque Santa Cruz, your old Bayern teammate? Perhaps you could persuade him to join United…
Roque would score goals in any team, but I know better in this day and age than to try and chat players up to come and play for your club! It’s disrespectful towards their current employers and it’s not something I would do.