Patrice Evra at the Grand Prix and during his time at Man Utd (Photo by Mark Thompson, Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has given his insight into how he viewed the club’s rivals during his playing days at Old Trafford.
Evra won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at United, and he enjoyed his fair share of memorable wins over the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.
It seems, however, that Evra had some quite wide ranging views on these teams, with the Frenchman considering Arsenal a bit of a joke at that time.
“It’s MY fault Salah and De Bruyne left Chelsea…” – which Blues legend made this HUGE admission?
In fairness, Evra played in that Sir Alex Ferguson side that notably thrashed the Gunners 8-2 at Old Trafford in the 2011/12 season, whereas the likes of Chelsea and City will have given him a much harder time.
Man Utd legend Patrice Evra trolls Arsenal
Looking back on it now, Evra said: “It isn’t disrespect any team, if you win against Arsenal, you mean you are going to win against your babies.
“If you win against Man City. Seriously, you win against the noisy neighbour. If you win against Liverpool, you win against the Enemy.
“If you win against Chelsea, you mean you are going to win the trophy because this team were the most similar team to us, men, personally, leadership, that’s why I always have so much respect for Chelsea.”
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— Kels. ?? (@KelsUF) March 5, 2025
Evra’s comments will no doubt be aimed right back at him if Arsenal beat United at Old Trafford this weekend, in what promises to be an intriguing game.
It’s always one of the most talked about fixtures of the season, even if most MUFC fans will now just be focusing on how to buy Real Sociedad vs Man United tickets for Thursday night’s Europa League clash.
United have just been knocked out of the FA Cup, so winning the Europa League will take on even extra importance, whereas their Premier League campaign is already pretty doomed.
Arsenal will probably be the favourites to win this weekend, but it’s still also fair to say that they’ve never enjoyed quite the same dominance as that United team of Evra’s day did.
The 43-year-old can, therefore, perhaps afford to be a bit arrogant about it now, and United fans will no doubt be loving it.
It’s also big praise for Chelsea, who were a fierce rival to United at that time, including when they played Ferguson’s side in the 2008 Champions League final, losing only on penalties at the end of a close game.
