PATRICE EVRA: PATRICE EVRA

PATRICE EVRA

[DEFENDER : RB]

Squad Number : 3

Position : Defence

Place of Birth : Dakar, Senegal

Date Of Birth : 15/ 05/ 1981

Height : 5'8

Weight : 11st 13lbs

___ French international full-back Patrice Evra joined Manchester United from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in January 2006 for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £5.5 million, with United beating off competition from fellow Premiership sides Arsenal and Liverpool for his signature.

___ Though a target for several big European sides over the past two seasons, it was the long-term injury to United's Argentinean star Gabriel Heinze that hardened Sir Alex Ferguson's determination to sign the 24-year-old.

___ Born in Dakar, Senegal, Evra moved to France as a young child and learned the game within the Paris Saint Germain youth system. After struggling to break into senior football in France he moved to Italy in 1998, spending two seasons playing for Marsala and Monza, before returning to France to join Nice in August 2000.

___ An excellent season at Nice in 2001/02, which saw them promoted to the top flight, led to a move to Monaco and Evra became first choice left-back at the principality side, making 120 league appearances and gaining valuable European experience.

___ Evra signed a contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2008/09 season and will be hoping to begin his career in Manchester by boosting his claim to an international place. He won his first cap in an August 2004 friendly against Bosnia, which national coach Raymond Domenech used to look at several new players.

___ After a difficult start to life at Old Trafford, Evra established himself as first choice left-back for Manchester United, ahead of the popular Gabriel Heinze. His pace and adventurous runs down the left flank proved to be very useful parts of United's title-winning charge in 2006/07.
This continued over to the 2007/08 season, as Evra's superb form helped United to a League and Champions League double.

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