Patrice Evra has recalled Sir Alex Ferguson’s reaction when Manchester United would take on one club during his illustrious managerial reign at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought Patrice Evra to Old Trafford in 2006 after Manchester United signed him from French side Monaco for a reported £5.5m transfer fee.
Evra went on to become a mainstay under the legendary 83-year-old former United manager and locked down his place as Ferguson’s first-choice left-back.
The 43-year-old former United left-back lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League and three League Cups during his prolific playing spell.
Evra spent the majority of his United spell under Red Devils legend Ferguson and he made 379 appearances for the club before his Old Trafford exit in 2014.
The United legend was part of the last Red Devils team to lift the Premier League title in the 2012-13 campaign before Ferguson called it time on his legendary career.
Patrice Evra admits one ‘tough’ stadium he visited during his time at Man Utd under Sir Alex Ferguson
Patrice Evra reunited with former Manchester United teammate Park Ji-sung for a visit to Birmingham City’s Elite Performance and Innovation Centre.
Speaking to Birmingham City’s official club media channels, Evra claimed that Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s was a difficult stadium to play at in his career.
The former United and France defender claimed that Birmingham shared a similar cultural vibe to Manchester due to its connection to working-class people.
“St Andrew’s was a tough place to come and play,” Evra said.
“The fans and the players were ready like, [knowing] how to play. That’s what I remember from when I played against Birmingham.”
The United legend added: “The result, we must have won. Well, I hope so.
“But no, it’s [full of] working-class people. It’s the same as Manchester – that’s when you know you’re going to play against Birmingham.”
Patrice Evra opens up on Sir Alex Ferguson’s ultimate compliment about Birmingham City and the St Andrew’s
Sir Alex Ferguson had previously praised Birmingham City and the tough challenge that his United side would face on their visit to the St Andrew’s.
Evra claimed that the Aberdeen and United legend would warn Red Devils players that they needed to be “ready for the battle” at places like the St Andrew’s.
“If you don’t get ready for the fight, no matter your quality or whatever, you won’t win the game,” he continued.
“I remember Sir Alex Ferguson, always when we played those kind of games, he said, ‘Make sure you’re ready for the battle.’
“‘Win the battle for us, run like them – because they’re going to run more than you – and if you don’t match them even in the run, you can lose this game.’”
“Because, sometimes, when you play for Man United and you play for a team that’s not supposed to win against you, I think they are the most tricky games and the most dangerous games.”
United legend Evra went on to play for the likes of Juventus, Marseille and West Ham before he called it time on his prolific playing career in 2019.
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