"Why do the quiet older lads act like that as soon as they grab a mic?" Patrice Evra (45), Manchester United's 'eternal left fullback,' is truly furious
England's Mirror reported on the 7th (Korean time) that Evra expressed strong dissatisfaction on the betting specialist site Stake regarding the critical public opinion from United legends that arose after the recent defeat to Newcastle.
Evra aimed a direct hit at former teammates who, rather than helping when the team is in crisis, unleashed harsh words as if they had been waiting for a single defeat. In particular, Evra shook his head and said, "I simply cannot understand" Paul Scholes's 'change of heart,' who was famous for being taciturn.
Manchester United, led by interim manager Michael Carrick (45), suffered a disappointing 1-2 defeat at Newcastle on the 5th. It was the moment the seven-game unbeaten run (6 wins, 1 draw) that had continued since Carrick's appointment came to an end. Even though the team still firmly holds third place in the league, United's 'brigade of harsh commentators' showed no mercy.
Paul Scholes posted on his social media, "Carrick clearly has 'something special,' because United have been truly awful over the last four matches," a post laced with sarcasm. Pointing out that performance had been poor even during the unbeaten run, he argued that instead of the inexperienced Carrick they should bring in a veteran manager like Carlo Ancelotti.
Roy Keane and Gary Neville also poured out sharp criticism in TV analysis. Unable to stand it, Evra took the lead. Referring to Scholes's post, Evra said, "I desperately hope this is fake news. I would rather his account had been hacked," unable to hide his astonishment.
He went on to say, "As a player Scholes was the quietest person I ever saw. But now he makes explosive remarks in the media. This is not the Scholes I knew." He criticized the sight of a former teammate who shared hardships with him becoming a TV pundit after retirement and leading the charge to belittle the team.
Evra said, "Frankly, Keane and Neville's negative analysis annoys me. Our goal now is to hold a top-four place. Those remarks do nothing to help the team," and he sharply criticized, "Is it the nature of people who work on TV? It seems they make money by ignoring the positive and speaking only negatively."
Evra's logic is clear. If you are a club legend, you should be deployed as a firefighter in moments of crisis and give support to manager Carrick, who lifted the team to third place. He said, "Carrick is one of us and is doing very well right now. I can't understand why people don't properly support him," expressing regret.
Evra believes that although the loss hurts, with the team still sitting in third place in the Champions League zone, the legends' 'internal firing' only damages team morale. Evra, who after retirement communicated with fans with a playful TV persona, returned as a colder 'defender' than anyone else when faced with indiscriminate criticism of his old club.
As debate rages over whether the legends' harsh words are 'well-intentioned advice' or 'noise for ratings,' Evra's principled remarks have resonated strongly among Manchester United fans.
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