Some future club legends hit the ground running with a Man of the Match-worthy debut, and the immediate adulation of the fans.
Others, meanwhile, take a little longer to settle in. Patrice Evra was certainly in the second camp, as the former Manchester United Left-back claims that he was laughed at during his first few months at Carrington.
The Frenchman first arrived at United in January 2006, having been signed from AS Monaco for a fee in the region of £5.5 million.
According to the man himself, it took him a long time to meet the club’s famously high standards, with many of his new teammates initially wondering why the club had bothered to sign him.
Patrice Evra joined Manchester United in the same window as Nemanja Vidic (Image: Alamy)
In a recent interview with Betfair, Evra revealed: “I love to be challenged in my life. I think that’s when you see the best version of myself.”
“I’ll be honest with you, players like Paul Scholes, they said: ‘Patrice I think you were a joke! I think we should send you back for free to Monaco!'”.
Far from being intimidated by such comments, Evra claims that he worked tirelessly to get up to speed – and develop the physical game he’d need in order to thrive in the Premier League.
The 41-year-old recounted: “I remember some players like Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney they were laughing at me in training when people were pushing me down because I needed to adapt my football.”
“I was a skilful player, I didn’t know that first you needed to be strong. So first I went in the gym, which I never did while I was playing in France.”
Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney. (Alamy)
He added: “When people talk about me, it’s not like a need them to surprise myself but that’s when I think, okay guys, now it’s show time.”
As we all know, Sir Alex’s gamble on the French international paid off in the long-run.
Evra would stay at United for eight years, earning a Champions League winner’s medal in his second full season, as well as five Premier League winner’s medals.
After playing 379 times for The Red Devils, he’d go on to enjoy a successful spell at Juventus, where he’d pick up a further two league titles.
Stints at Marseille and West Ham United would follow, before he eventually called time on his career in 2018 at the age of 37.
Where does Patrice Evra rank among the Premier League’s best ever Left-backs? Let us know what you think.
