A sight we can look forward to seeing for a few more years at Old Trafford
It has been officially announced that Patrice Evra has signed a new deal with United keeping him at the club until 2014.
Evra’s decision to stay at Old Trafford is a huge boost for the club as he’s proven one of our most consistent players over the past five years.
Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Patrice has developed into a key character in the dressing room. It’s great that he’s committed himself to Manchester United. His experience and talent will be increasingly important to us.”
Like Nemanja Vidic, several months ago, specualtion was rife that Evra would be joining Real Madrid but as is so often in these cases, its seems there was a lot of smoke but very little fire.
Evra himself stated:
“The fans, the players, the manager and the staff all work hard to make this club the best in the world.
“I’ve won a lot in the last five years, but I want to win more and I know that’s the mentality of everyone here.”
With many in the media and around the club suggesting that in the Summer United will embark on some sort of spending spree, keeping all of our top players is a must.
A few days ago I suggested that if Evra was adamant about a move to the Bernabeu then maybe a swap deal with Marcelo would be the best option.
Despite my admiration for the Brazilian, there ‘s no doubt in my mind that swapping Evra for any other left-back in the world would be a weakening of the current United side.
Evra’s been a contender for the best left-back in the world in practically every season he’s been here- and barring a ropey derby day debut, his bad games for United have been almost non-existent.
With Rooney, Vidic, Evra and Berbatov all happy to stay at United for the foreseeable future, it means Sir Alex can turn his attention to which members of the fringe squad are surplus to requirements and which one’s need to be tied down.
Following United’s poor showing against Crawley specualtion is rife that yet another ‘Summer clear out’ at Old Trafford is on the cards. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen as many of you will recall last Summer, the likes of Park, Anderson, Carrick and even Berbatov were touted as being destined for the exit door.
Those players have been integral to United’s success this season and we may not quite see the mass exodus some are suggesting in the Summer.
There’s no doubt that at least one or two players will be leaving, but with Evra’s future secure, it means the manager can worry about transfers and players leaving at the end of the season.
Evra may get an even warmer reception at Old Trafford next time he nplays but he can expect a hostile one against Marseille on Wednesday.
Evra has been made into a whipping boy by many in the french media for France’s troubled World- a familiar trait with United players following the tournament.
Evra can remember that the likes of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo were crucified in the media in this country following World Cup tournaments, and they didn’t have too shabby a season when they returned.
Follow Redflagflyinghigh on twitter @RFFH
Fancy writing an article for our site? Email us on redflagflyinghigh@snack-media.com
[bet_365 type='generic' size='468'af_code='365_061447']