Fergie had to say sorry to Evra after Ron’s goal
PATRICE Evra has revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to apologise after blaming the former United defender for a goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Evra suffered the wrath of Fergie when United faced Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2013.
In the first leg at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo left the Frenchman standing with a towering header to level the score at 1-1.
It was an incredible feat of athleticism that Evra says prompted Ferguson to eat his words. He said: “When he scored that header he was taking to the sky. “Ferguson was shouting at me. “The next day he said, ‘Sorry Pat, I didn’t see how high he jumped.’”
Ronaldo scored again in the return leg, which turned out to be Ferguson’s final European game in charge of United.
The Real striker is hoping to lead Portugal to World Cup success and kicked off the tournament in spectacular fashion with a hat-trick in Friday’s 3-3 draw with Spain.
It prompted praise from his former manager at the Bernabeu and current United boss, Jose Mourinho.
“There are players for some matches, there are players for every matches and there are players for special matches,” he said. “And the players for special matches are the ones.” JOSE Mourinho will watch Paul Pogba closely this summer as he tries to find the best way to unlock the United midfielder’s true potential.
Pogba’s inconsistency has been the greatest frustration of Mourinho’s Old Trafford reign so far, having convinced United to swallow their pride and pay a world record fee to bring him back to the club two years ago.
The decision to drop the Frenchman for key games last season was evidence the Reds manager’s patience had been pushed to the brink.
The relationship between the pair remains under scrutiny – but there is a determination within the club to ensure Pogba is allowed to be a success. Which is why the signing of Fred looks so crucial to the £89m man’s future.
Mourinho made it a priority to recruit a world-class holding midfielder this summer as he tries to find the right balance in his engine room.
While he refuses to give Pogba the freedom to play as an entirely attacking midfielder, Fred’s arrival is intended to give the 25-year-old more scope to go forward.
And France World Cup winner Patrick Vieira believes a top-quality holding player is the key to tapping into his countryman’s true potential.
As such, Mourinho will monitor N’Golo Kante’s influence on him in Russia.
Vieira said: “Having Kante around him should help.
“For a coach, Kante is the dream No.6. He is shy off the field, but so strong on it, sacrificing himself for the team.
“He’s smart, and he can play, but the key thing in that job is giving more than you take. You do the work for others and his temperament is perfect for that position.
“With Kante able to do so much covering in midfield, that should help Pogba play his own game in support of (Antoine) Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.”
Mourinho was convinced to pay £52m for Shakhtar midfielder Fred because he believed the Brazilian was the perfect replacement for the retiring Michael Carrick.
His youth, energy and mobility will provide something Carrick has been unable to in the latter years of his career. While he also has the technique and range of passing to emulate to help United control the middle of the pitch.
If he can develop a relationship with Pogba, Mourinho may finally see the best of the French international. But Vieira also believes the former Juventus man has to address his own issues.
“We have an expression in France — ‘mettre de l’eau dans son vin’ — which literally means putting water in your wine,” he added. “It is a phrase that comes to mind with Pogba, who, from what I have seen this season at Manchester United, needs to simplify his game, get back to basics, not worry about playing for the crowd. “Let’s not dispute his talent for a second. I was not a bad midfielder but I never had Pogba’s fluency or range of technique. He has shown enough times that he is special, and capable of being one of the world’s most influential midfielders. “Maybe because of the expectations that come with being so high profile, he is trying too hard to please people. “He has the engine to be a top No 8, playing boxto-box. He has the physicality to win the ball, the technique to hit any pass, the vision to score great goals. “I think he is smart enough to fix the problem, but it can be hard because it takes more time to get back to yourself than it took to fall down.” Patrick Vieira