Ten reasons why David De Gea's girlfriend is wrong about Manchester

Edurne Garcia, the girlfriend of Manchester United goalie David De Gea, has described Manchester as ‘not very nice’ and agreed with comments about the city being ‘uglier than the back of a fridge’. Ouch! But Manchester is full of great sights, beautiful scenery and fascinating places to discover, so here are ten reasons why she is wrong about our fair city:

1. We have the largest municipal park in Europe – Heaton Park. It also has a Grade-1 listed building, Heaton Hall, and offers stunning views of the city.

2. There's also Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden in Didsbury - an exotic paradise within the heart of the city.

3. The city is full of other green spaces including woodlands such as Chorlton Ees and Blackley Forest, so there is always somewhere to escape the hustle and bustle.

Huw Williams https://www.flickr.com/photos/hugodelamuerte/

4. The Irwell, Irk, Medlock and the Mersey all flow through our city, providing ample riverside walks.

Steve Glover https://www.flickr.com/photos/sg2012/

5. Manchester's many canals which helped drive the growth of city have been restored and and their banks house restaurants, pubs and bars.

6. Castlefield was designated as the UK’s first Urban Heritage Park in 1982. And it has a reconstructed Roman fort.

Stephen Douglas https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephen_douglas/

7. Manchester is full of stunning historic buildings to explore – from the the Town Hall, to the John Rylands Library, to Ordsall Hall in Salford.

8. Along with being one of Greater Manchester’s most picturesque towns, Ramsbottom has also become popular with foodies and craft beer lovers in recent years. It also has a steam railway.

Andrew https://www.flickr.com/photos/arg_flickr/

9. Greater Manchester is also home to towns and villages such as Broadbottom, Uppermill and Marple – offering a more rural experience just a few miles outside of the city centre.

Mike Serigrapher https://www.flickr.com/photos/stockportmike/

10. And with Greater Manchester covering almost 500 square miles there are plenty of new places, secret spots and hidden gems to discover all the time! So maybe Edurne Garcia just needs to get to know the city better?

Rob Martin

Find more things to do in Manchester with Time Out.