How Sir Alex Ferguson stopped Patrice Evra from joining Real Madrid back in 2010

Patrice Evra recently talked about the time he almost left Manchester United to join Real Madrid in 2010. Los Blancos were interested in signing the left-back and Evra showed similar interest in a move. However, Manchester United's legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson convinced Patrice Evra to stay at Old Trafford. Patrice Evra went on to stay in Manchester till 2014, winning the Premier League five times before moving to Serie A with Juventus. Evra recalled the incident while speaking on the UTD Podcast shedding light on Ferguson's immense style of management back in his time.

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How Sir Alex Ferguson stopped Patrice Evra from joining Real Madrid

In 2010, Real Madrid came in with a massive offer for Evra. At the same time, Patrice Evra was nearing the end of his contract with Manchester United. Evra recalled Sir Alex Ferguson saying, "Patrice, you know, you can do whatever you want, but you won’t leave," to which the left-back replied, "Okay, speak with my agent, make the deal and I may stay." Manchester United were in Chicago for pre-season practice when Evra called Sir Alex Ferguson to inform him that he will be signing for Madrid.

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Sir Alex Ferguson delayed meeting with Patrice Evra for a while until the Frenchman lost his cool and went knocking on the manager's door. Patrice Evra revealed “The next day I was so angry, so I knocked the door of his office. I told him I was waiting for him yesterday. He said: ''Patrice, I'm really sorry. I'm trying to look everywhere [for] another left-back, but I can't find a left-back like you.' I was like, ‘Of course, you're going to find a different one – no one is like me, because I'm unique! And another one is unique, you know?"

Evra claimed Sir Alex Ferguson asked him to shake his hand and trust him before asking him to sign for four years more. Evra ended up signing a four-year deal with Man United. With Real Madrid out of the running, Evra went on to rack up a total of 273 league appearance under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, winning 15 trophies at the club during his time in Manchester.

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