Patrice Evra has criticised former Manchester United teammates Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes for what he describes as 'negative analysis' during Michael Carrick's tenure as interim manager. The 44-year-old former left-back took aim at the trio following United's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday, which ended a four-match winning run under Carrick.
Speaking to gambling website Stake, Evra expressed frustration at Scholes' deleted Instagram story, which read: 'Michael has definitely got something special about him. United have been crap last four games... night.' Evra said: 'I hope Paul Scholes' Instagram story is fake. I hope he was hacked.' He added that Scholes, once the quietest player he had played with, now 'drops bombshells' as a pundit.
Evra also criticised Keane and Neville, asserting that their comments were unnecessary given United's push for a top-four finish. 'It annoys me because we want to be in the top four, and those comments are unnecessary,' he said. 'But this is what you do when you work in TV. You can't be positive, you have to be negative.'
Specifically addressing Neville, Evra referenced the former right-back's ill-fated managerial spell at Valencia in 2015-16, which lasted less than four months. 'Most of these guys get a managerial job and get fired straightaway,' Evra said. 'As players, they're legends, but as managers, they haven't done a great job. So for them to speak and possibly kill the career of a manager, it's a little bit too much.'
Despite the midweek defeat, United remain third in the Premier League and are on course for Champions League qualification. Carrick's side host Aston Villa on Sunday as they seek to bounce back from their first loss under his stewardship.
