According to report on BBC and confirmed by Manchester United website, Patrice Evra will remain a Red Devil for one more year. He will add to his 379 appearances and hopefully to his tally of 10 goals in the 2014-2015 season. A leader on the pitch and in the dressing room, he's also worn the captain's armband several times.
We can confirm that Patrice Evra has extended his contract at #mufc for another year. pic.twitter.com/ZBPsfXL52L
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 23, 2014
Evra has often been slated for his lack of defending and many will say that his switching off has led to too many goals conceded, but I think the swagger and attacking tenacity he adds to Manchester United more than makes up for it. When United are winning titles, his bombing down the wing and the consistent pressure he puts on defenses makes his alleged defensive shortcomings acceptable to me.
Full of energy and fight, his leaping ability often goes unmentioned. That baffles me. Standing at just 5' 9" tall, Evra regularly out-jumps taller opponents to put his head on the ball. He does this with daring and sometimes reckless abandon, has his share of crash landings, and has proven remarkably durable (unlike younger teammates I won't name...Phil Jones).
The official club website player profile describes him as a "cult hero" when just plain "hero" would do fine. Purchased from AS Monaco for a reported transfer fee of £5.5 million, it's proven to be an amazing value, the likes of which are so very rare. To top it off, whether it is true or not, he's always maintained that Old Trafford was the only destination he considered when leaving France.
As we all know, he joined that winter with another United captain, Nemanja Vidic, and it would be unthinkable to lose them both at the same time. We may bring in Luke Shaw this summer, but contray to knee-jerk reactions, I don't see why that would need to end Evra's United career. Plus, the Shaw transfer from Southampton seems far from done.
Here's a list of his honors won for Manchester United Football Club:
FIFA Club World Cup: 2008
UEFA Champions League: 2008
Premier League: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013
League Cup: 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10
Community Shield: 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013
To be continued......
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