Signing for Manchester City this summer, Gaël Clichy has been one of the club’s most impressive players so far this season, providing pace and intelligence on the team’s left flank. Last week Gaël popped into Umbro’s office in Manchester to check out his latest Umbro GT boots, so we took the chance to quiz him on how he’s settling into life in up north.

How are you finding life in Manchester so far Gaël?

GC: ‘I like it, I’m someone who likes to be calm and in a quiet place, so I like it. I think for a footballer, it has advantages to be here rather than in London, as you have less temptation. It’s hard to compare London and Manchester, but so far the people are very nice, and there are some nice shops and restaurants, so I’m very happy. The main thing is that my team is doing well, and you can’t ask for more than that really.’

Sounds like you’re a man who appreciates good food, have you tried many different places here?

‘For now, I’m staying in the middle of Manchester, and we’ve been to Italian ones, Indian ones, you find a way to enjoy life in the city. I like to try different restaurants, different types of food. In London we had so many different choices, but here also there is plenty to choose from and I’m enjoying it.’

What about cooking yourself, do you ever bother? What would you cook to impress your team mates?

‘I do cook at home, I think I’m a good cook! When you cook, you feel at home. If I was going to cook for my team mates, I think I would go for a Caribbean meal, maybe some Jamaican food. My father is from the French West Indies, so I know this very well. I have my own specialty as well, which is prawns with a coconut sauce and rice, that’s really good.

When I first came to England it was difficult for the first six months because I couldn’t cook, but my father came and showed me what to do, and that was a massive change for me, and really helped me to settle down here. I’m think I’m quite good now!’

Obviously people are still talking about the derby – how was it for you?

‘It was a great result, especially for the fans who have been following City for so many years. It was an incredible day, and for us players it’s not every day that you can go to Old Trafford and win a game so convincingly. So we had to enjoy it, we went out the same night for a meal with the squad, but then after that we’ve had to put it out of our heads, as it’s only one result. Those three points are the same as the game before and it’s just three more towards the title. 1-0 would have been perfect, but for the fans the 6-1 will be with them for many years.’

I can’t believe you’ve only ever scored one Premier League goal, is that correct?

‘Yep, just one goal! I think you can see why from the game against Manchester United – I had a clear chance, I went past three or four players, and I was in front of the goal and instead of trying to shoot I passed the ball. Maybe I could be a bit more selfish, but I’m not like that, and if I don’t score any goals in the next four years here at City and we win many trophies, I’ll take that any day. My job is as a defender, and I think my performance against United was enough for me. When you do that job, it’s as good as scoring a goal.’

You mention winning trophies there, but what would you prefer – a Premier League or Champions League medal?

‘It’s not a tough choice for me, I would always go for winning the Premier League. Don’t get me wrong, the Champions League is an amazing trophy and I would love to win it, but if I had to take one I would always choose the Premier League. The Champions League can be decided in one game, whereas the league is over the whole season.’

You’re quite an experienced Premier League player now, but who is the toughest opponent you’ve come up against?

‘There is a few; I’ve played against Ronaldo, Nani, Ashley Young, but one person I was always very impressed by was Shaun Wright Phillips. Even now when he’s at QPR, he’s still one of the best. He’s fast, with quick feet, can put the ball anywhere, crossing was really impressive, and if you ask many left-backs I’m sure they’d agree that he’s one of the hardest to play against. Luckily he’s been playing on the left for QPR at the moment! I knew him as well when I first came to City, and he’s a really nice guy as well, so I can understand why all the City fans like him so much.’

You’ll be playing against Arsenal for the first time in December, how do you think that will feel?

‘It will be weird. I spoke to Thierry a few years ago when he came back with Barcelona, and he said the same. I spent eight years at the club and had a great time there. I arrived there when I was 17, and it was a big part of my life, I still look out for their results and a lot of my friends are still playing for them.’

I read somewhere that you taught yourself to be left-footed when you were younger, is that true?

‘It was when I was very little, I had a cast on my right leg when I was one or two years old. So for it to heal properly, my dad taught me to use my left leg more. I’m very thankful for him doing that, because maybe if I was a right-footed player I wouldn’t have made it as a footballer. People are always looking for left-footed players, so that was a good thing for me. I was lucky in that I was little, it’s like if you speak two languages to a baby they can learn them better, it would have been a lot harder to do if I was 18. And my right foot isn’t too bad either!’

Final question: a 5-a-side match between the French speaking and Spanish speaking players at City – who would win?

‘Wow, that’s tough! So, French speaking would be me, Samir, the Touré brothers and you can bring in Vincent Kompany, so that’s our five. Spanish you would have Silva, Agüero, Zabaleta, Tevez and Denis Suarez. I think we’d have more chance of winning as we’d have three defenders. When you have a strong defence you’re always in a better position. We’d have three at the back, not conceding, and giving the ball to Samir and Yaya, that would work perfectly!

Thanks to Gaël for taking the time to speak to us – next time you see him on the pitch, he’ll be wearing Umbro GT boots, designed for the individual player.