Patrice Evra claims Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale ‘almost’ joined Manchester United in 2013
Patrice Evra claims that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were close to joining Manchester United in 2013.
Patrice Evra claims Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were close to joining United under Sir Alex Ferguson (Via GOAL & X/@OJobBoy)
Imagine both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale tearing it up for Manchester United in the Premier League under Sir Alex Ferguson. The thought of Real Madrid’s two best forwards in the modern era playing week in week out at Old Trafford is difficult to conjure. However, former United man and French international Patrice Evra claims that the deal was nearly completed.
In a recent interview, Evra admitted that both Ronaldo and Bale had plans to join United in 2013. However, certain complications and disagreements eventually came in the way of the same. What followed was one of the most successful periods in the history of Real Madrid, of which Bale and Ronaldo were at the very heart of.
Cristiano Ronaldo 99% agreed to come back and Gareth Bale. He needed 200 million and the club refused. This was in 2013, just before he retired.
Patrice Evra said in a podcast
The Frenchman also revealed that Ferguson would’ve continued as the manager for another ten years had the deal materialized while also taking a dig at how the club spent over a billion without results in recent seasons.
Manchester United and Erik ten Hag : Is the manager really on his way out?
Fast forward 11 years from 2013 and Manchester United are only a shadow of their former selves. The Red Devils have struggled to maintain form in recent seasons, with much of the flame falling on manager Erik ten Hag – the eighth manager to take charge of the club since Sir Alex Ferguson. Most recently, United embarrassed themselves with a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Following the game, talk of Ten Hag’s sacking and appointment of a new manager has taken centre stage. Simone Inzaghi has been rumored as a potential replacement while a few feel that the club will stick with him, at least for the next few games. A report by BBC states that the club have decided to stick with the manager for the next two games against Porto and Aston Villa.
If the club are in fact planning to let go of the manager, they will have to pay him an eye-watering compensation of £17.5 million. Surprisingly, this figure is more than what Liverpool paid for Juventus star Federico Chiesa. Several fans have expressed their disapproval of Ten Hag remaining in charge while rival fans jokingly called for him to stay. United are currently 13th in the Premier League.
Sherwin Shaju
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