'I'm a Man Utd legend - their demise is so bad I refuse to cover their matches'

Manchester United are struggling once again under Erik ten Hag's management and Patrice Evra finds it difficult to work as a pundit on their matches because it upsets him so much

Patrice Evra has admitted he finds it difficult to work as a pundit on Manchester United matches because their demise “hurts” him.

Evra helped United win five Premier League titles and the Champions League during an eight-year stay with the club. The left-back was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2006 and left United in 2014 – the year after their legendary manager retired.

The Frenchman called time on his playing career in 2018 and moved into the media landscape, working as a pundit for Sky Sports. But his attachment to his former club has proved more challenging than he anticipated, making it hard for him to stay professional and neutral in the studio.

United were thrashed 3-0 by Tottenham on Sunday to slump to 13th in the Premier League table with two wins from their opening six matches. And asked by Sky Sports whether he finds it difficult to watch United under Erik ten Hag, Evra gave an honest answer.

“Of course, it’s hard, it hurts, that’s why you see some commentators are really harsh because people are frustrated,” he said. “You love your club so much and you get disappointed by some performances. Of course. That’s why, when I was working for Sky, I was begging not to commentate on any Manchester United games.

“When he had that 6-1 loss against Tottenham and you can see my face on TV, I couldn’t hide my feelings. It doesn’t matter if you work for Sky and you have to be neutral – when your club is not performing well…”

Image: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP) Lindsey Parnaby/AFP)

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Evra was referring to his emotional reaction to United’s 6-1 humbling at home by Spurs in October 2020. Asked by Sky Sports presenter Dave Jones if he’d like to be anywhere other than in the studio, Evra replied: “You know, Alexis Sanchez, when he signed for United, at his first training session, he asked his agent to rip up his contract.

“That’s what I’m going to ask to Sky – I really would like to end my contract with Sky, because it’s my second game, I’m a positive person and I never want to talk about United because when you tell the truth it can hurt. I’m passionate and I love my club… I know you have to have some filter when you talk on TV, but it’s a shambles.”

Evra now only appears as a pundit infrequently yet remains alarmed at United’s struggles under Ten Hag. The Dutchman is under pressure to keep his job once again, but Evra is backing him to pull some results out of the bag, like he did at the FA Cup final in May.

“It’s tough, it’s tough,” he said. “People keep talking about Ten Hag being sacked. It feels like he has the support from INEOS. We’re going to have two tough games – Porto away and Aston Villa – and we’re going to keep saying ‘if he loses those two games he’s going to be sacked’. But from experience, every time he had that game, when we think he’s going to be sacked, he always wins them, so I’m not worried.”

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