Who the hell do you think you are?
EVRA WARNING FOR UNITED PROSPECTS
PATRICE EVRA has warned current and future Manchester United players not to believe they have ‘made it’ just because they have signed for the club.
The outspoken defender, a fivetime Premier League winner under Sir Alex Ferguson, insists some are more interested in building social media fanbases than winning trophies.
And he said all youth team and academy players should be made to study the history and traditions of the club before being pulling on a red shirt.
Evra said: “Every time I put this shirt on I knew how many people have worn this shirt and won. You have to respect this tradition and the philosophy of this club.
“When you play for Manchester United, it’s not for you. You don’t use United. Because you’re a United player you’re famous, you’re on social media. You play for United because you have to give to those people.”
Evra’s critique, speaking on the official Man United Podcast, did not name names but many will have their ideas about the targets.
Paul Pogba, who has 40million Instagram followers, for instance, has been more active on social media than on the pitch this season, playing just eight games.
Evra, 38, suggested some coming through the academy do not even know who Sir Bobby Charlton is. But he said Charlton was the perfect example to follow.
Evra said: “Every time I was shaking the hands of Bobby Charlton, I felt something, and every time I saw him in the plane, travelling with us, when I knew what happened with his former team-mates, I was like, ‘This person is a miracle’. When they play for this club they need to know every person working here.
“You don’t have any excuse. Just watch some DVDs like I did. It’s really important.”
Evra said Ferguson was famously intolerant of players who started to believe their hype.
“Once in pre-season before we got on the bus, we were really tired and there was a queue of fans,” said the former France defender. The players were like ‘When no one signs, no one has to sign’. So we went straight to the bus. Everyone.
“I look out the window and I see Sir Alex Ferguson signing each autograph. I swear he must have signed for like 45 minutes.
“He was signing for everyone. I said ‘Guys, when the boss comes on the bus, we are done’. When he came on, he gave us the hairdryer. ‘Who the hell do you think you are? Those people are paying your salary. Those people are coming to watch you. Now get the f*** down there and sign’.And we had to sign for each fan. But that’s the mentality.”
In addition to his five Premier League titles, Evra helped land three League Cups and a Champions League trophy in 2008.
“I always say that Didier Deschamps taught me winning is important, but Ferguson taught me that winning is normal,” he said.
“Even after big wins he just said, ‘Well done, son’. He was never screaming, apart from when we won the Champions League final. Winning was just something normal.” ●The interview and previous UTD Podcast episodes are available from this evening via the Manchester United website.