'I Learned English Watching TV'

Manchester City star Eliaquim Mangala is now fluent in English after picking it up from television.

When they arrive in England some overseas stars pay for a private tutor to teach them the language, others listen to CDs in the car and many do not even bother. Not Manchester City's Eliaquim Mangala.

The France international could not speak a word of the native tongue when he arrived from Porto for £32million last summer.

A year later and he is fluent – after picking up the language from watching television.

Mangala, 24, told Sportsmail that he was determined to learn English, but had his own way of doing so.

'It was something that I wanted to do as soon as I got here,' he explains.

'I started watching a lot of films and movies and it went from there.'

Mangala says Coronation Street was not on his list and added that Question Time was also off limits.

'No, I have not seen this,' he reveals when asked if he was a fan of the famous cobbles.

'And I do not watch political programs – I cannot tell what they are saying and it is too difficult.

'The other players tell me about the different accents, Manchester, Newcastle, but I cannot tell the difference yet.'