‘There is no friendly’ – Evra slams absent Man Utd legends after Liverpool defeat
Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has bemoaned the absence of many United legends in the charity match defeat to Liverpool.
Evra, 41, was part of the United Legends team that suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Liverpool Legends in a game organised to raise money for the Manchester United foundation.
Jamie Carragher, Jerzy Dudek and Dirk Kuyt all made an appearance for the visitors, while Gary Neville, Jaap Stam and Dimitar Berbatov turned out for the hosts.
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United legends Dwight Yorke and Paul Scholes could not make it to Old Trafford, though, having cancelled their appearances at short notice.
Evra felt the turnout was poor and decided to voice his frustrations after the game. “I’m sorry for the fans,” he told MUTV. “I know it’s a charity game, but there is a rivalry between the two clubs. There is no friendly match. Where are the English players?
“I live in Dubai. I came from there. When Man United call, you answer. I think more legends should be here today. When United calls you, you have to be there.”
In other United news, interim boss Ralf Rangnick has admitted he “should have done better” during his spell in charge as the Red Devils see out their worst ever Premier League season with a trip to Crystal Palace.
Rangnick said the squad isn’t suited to his high-octane brand of football, with Cristiano Ronaldo looking particularly out of place.
“We never came near to that aggressive, pro-active football I’d normally want to do,” he said. “It has to do with physicality if you want to play like that. I should have done better and developed this team in a more sustainable way.
“I am not blaming Cristiano [Ronaldo] at all, he did great in games, but he is not a pressing monster. Even when he was young, he wasn’t shouting, ‘The other team has the ball, where can we win balls?’
“It was the same with quite a few other players so we had to make compromises at one stage. We never found the right balance between what do we need with the ball and without the ball.”
