Patrice Evra has revealed a Premier League club tried to sign him three years after he retired.
The 43-year-old won five league titles in England with Manchester United before a brief spell at West Ham at the end of his career.
Patrice Evra has revealed a Premier League club tried to sign him three years after he retired[/caption]
However, he called time on his playing days in 2018 after leaving the Hammers aged 37.
Around three years after retiring, though, the former France international was approached about a return to the game.
Evra has revealed an unnamed Premier League team was keen to sign him back in 2021, only for him to turn down the offer.
Appearing on Shane Todd’s Tea With Me podcast, he explained: “I was approached by a Premier League team three years ago to come back to play, but to be honest, I don’t miss football.
“But if you say, ‘Patrice, let’s go, we have a game,’ I will train like when I was a professional.
“People don’t understand, some people play football for fun, but I always say, it’s easy to reach the top of the pyramid, but to stay at the top, that’s when you have to make sacrifices. It’s a 24-hour job; you have to eat and sleep football. You have to be dedicated to that.
“When you do that you sacrifice time with your family and with your friends.
“I always tell the story of when I came back home one day, and my son, who was three years old, was crying. I asked why, and he said, ‘Because I hate Manchester United.’
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s Liverpool or Chelsea, man, don’t tell me that or I’m going to have a heart attack,’ but I asked why, and he said, ‘Man United took my dad away.’”
Evra made 273 Premier League appearances for United as well as a further five for West Ham during a brief spell in East London.
His time at Old Trafford also saw the left-back win 14 trophies, including both the Champions League and Club World Cup.
Meanwhile, he had spells with Monaco, Juventus and Marseille as well as winning 81 caps for France.
