Patrice Evra not very keen to go forward in the talks with Arsenal, Liverpool or Real Madrid. They all talked with my agent in the past two seasons. But to me, it was over. As I said to the Monaco officials, I only wanted to hear about Manchester." Evra initially had some problems adapting to the English game. He made his debut for the club on 14 January in a 3–1 away defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League. He was substituted out at half-time after failing to make an impact. After the conclusion of the match, Ferguson stated, "Maybe it
Patrice Evra national team captain Lilian Thuram stated that Evra should be banned permanently from playing for the national team. His sentiments were later echoed by Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno, who declared, "I have nothing against Evra but, as a France player and especially captain, he did not defend the values of sport which are shared by the Republic. I am sure there exist other talents who have not sullied France and are waiting for/ the chance to write new history". On 6 August, Evra was one of five players summoned to attend a hearing held by the Disciplinary Committee of the