Evra was Moyes’ captain at Manchester United
Successful Manchester United sides have always had big characters; Robson, Keane, Neville, Ferdinand, Rooney. Another one of those leaders in more recent years was Patrice Evra, who arrived in January 2006 and stayed until 2014, when Louis van Gaal decided that a new, younger model was needed at left-back.
In Evra’s final season at Old Trafford, David Moyes was manager, having just taken over from Sir Alex Ferguson. It was a forgettable season for United fans and a stark reminder that life after Fergie’s reign would never be the same. It was also a learning curve for Moyes, who discovered that he was not cut out for the biggest jobs. Evra
After Evra and Moyes had this brief time together, ‘Uncle Pat’s January transfer to West Ham seemed logical, just like many other manager and player reunions, but an incident during Moyes’ time at United makes it quite the opposite.
According to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, before a European away tie that season, the United squad were waiting in the VIP departures lounge before jetting off, and David Moyes made it clear to his players that they should resist the temptation of eating the breakfast buffet. Evra, fuming at being told not to devour a bacon roll before a football match, demanded an explanation, which Moyes promptly provided. Evra wasn’t having it though, as he ignored his manager’s orders and ate some breakfast in front of him.
Bearing this in mind, Moyes’ attempts to sign other left-backs, including Leighton Baines and Fabio Coentrão, suggests that the pair didn’t see eye to eye during that season, and makes it all the more strange that the pair reunited at West Ham this winter.
They appear to have made up though, with Moyes singing the praises of the former France international.
“Patrice is one of the finest leaders around the dressing room that I have ever seen,” Moyes said. “He speaks well in everything he does and the way he speaks about the club is great. He is inspirational behind the scenes and reminds all the boys what their jobs and duties are.
“He is great for me and obviously he has been great for the team.”
Moyes and Evra will take on their old side United at the London stadium tonight, at 7:45pm.
