Being an ex-pro himself, when someone like Patrice Evra speaks, football fans listen.
Forget all the “I love this game” nonsense because behind all the smiles and silly shenanigans is someone with a deep and studious knowledge of the game.
You don’t get to be as successful as the Frenchman if you don’t know a thing or two about the nuances of football.
Though he hasn’t carved out a career in punditry to rival those of other ex-professionals, it is still interesting to get his take on certain matters.
For him to express that his old team-mate, Declan Rice, isn’t a leader and if he leaves West Ham “fans will kill him,” is worthy of a listen indeed.
Talking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, Evra suggested that the price tag that everyone is expecting to be put on Rice’s head, north of £100m, will mean that he’ll be under pressure from the get go.
Further, and perhaps even more controversially, he noted that the player wasn’t ready to make such a monumental move at this stage and it was, in fact, the media talking him up as the next big thing that has led to such astronomical transfer fees being talked about in the first place.
The Times suggest that his fee would be nearer to the £80m mark, which is still a substantial outlay, and that champions-elect Arsenal are confident of securing the player ahead of London rivals Chelsea.
Just because he was a successful player doesn’t mean he talks sense. The bloke is an absolute tool.