Over the years Patrice Evra has been both a fantastic full-back and a loyal servant for Manchester United. His all action, buccaneering displays have been a joy to watch and when he’s at his best, he has proven to be very effective.
In his younger years he had bags of pace, incredible energy and plenty of will and determination. His impeccable attitude saw Sir Alex Ferguson install him as captain of this Manchester United side. Evra has since led the club to a whole heap of silverware and will likely be long remembered as a club legend.
That’s a lot of plaudits. The man is a true inspiration. But he’s also 32-years-old. He’s approaching the Autumn of his career and it may be time for him to consider his future at Manchester United.
What’s more, David Moyes needs to weigh up whether Patrice Evra is still capable of providing his club with the value necessary. I only hope that Moyes doesn’t dawdle over this. It would be nice to see some swift, effective action.
Manchester United’s very public pursuit of Everton’s Leighton Baines and Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao bode extremely well. Moyes is being proactive and drawing up a list of targets, and that’s a good thing.
But it begs the question: what would happen to Patrice Evra should somebody else be brought in?
I can’t help but feel that his Manchester United career is almost over. His contract will expire at the end of the season and it doesn’t look like he’ll agree new terms. Just check out these quotes from Patrice Evra on French television, from when he was asked whether he was concerned about his contractual situation:
“No, not at all. It is a personal thing. It is not that Manchester United do not want me to sign a new contract. This whole thing is personal. Manchester United would like me to finish my career there, but this is something personal.” (Source: The Mirror)
Maybe there is something going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about, but I can’t help but wonder if Evra has been hurt by all the rumours concerning Baines and Coentrao. After years of loyalty and hard-work, he appears to be getting put out to pasture.
But the time is right. Manchester United aren’t an effective unit at the moment and need to start looking ahead to the future. Freshening up this position is a good place to start.
What’s your take? Is it time for Patrice Evra to move on?
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