Patrice Evra has launched a passionate attack on the hierarchy of Manchester United, claiming they risk “blowing away the legacy” of his former club.
Evra, 39, posted a 20-minute monologue on his Instagram account in which the Frenchman took aim at chief transfer negotiator Matthew Judge and the way the club is run under executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward after another summer of frustration in the transfer market to date.
Speaking after United opened the Premier League season with a 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, Evra said he was “sad, hurt and tired” by United as he turned his attention to those he blames for the club’s struggles to recapture former glories.
“Before us, Bobby Charlton, George Best, they make the history of the club,” said Evra, who played for United from 2006 to 2014. “All those people they make the history of the club and we try to respect it, in ’99 and us in ’08.
“Just some people they want to blow all this legacy away. For what? Business? We are better than that…
“I think some people who work for this club are damaging this club.”
Woodward was spared the most direct criticism, but Evra said he was guilty of trusting the wrong people.
“If I have a problem with Ed Woodward, I won’t talk on social media,” Evra said. “I will just call him or meet him face-to-face about what I think about something.
“The only problem I would say to Ed is trusting people he should never trust. He even trusts people outside the club that he shouldn’t. That’s what I can say about Ed.”
Instead, Evra focused on the way the club operates in the transfer market under Judge.
“When we want a player and they cost say £20million, we end up trying to buy him for £100million,” he said. “Now those players don’t even want our money anymore.
“A sporting director from a top football club called me and asked me to tell Matthew Judge to answer his phone. The club needs to stop being so arrogant.”
Comparing the club’s current policy to his own experiences under Sir Alex Ferguson and then chief executive David Gill, Evra added: “People need to understand we send lawyers to talk to players. So when we send lawyers they talk about numbers, they are not people from the football world.
“At the time, Fergie, David Gill, we didn’t hear anything in the paper, but, bam, bam, bam, (Robin) Van Persie, (Nemanja) Vidic, (Rio) Ferdinand, everything was fast. When Manchester United need a player they go and they talk to them face-to-face.”
Evra defended manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and spared the Glazer family from blame – saying Avram Glazer “loves the club and cares about the club” but is not getting the right information from those in day-to-day charge.
“Leave Ole alone,” Evra said. “Let’s talk about the people who shouldn’t be at the club.”
