PATRICE EVRA BELIEVES “it’s always the wrong decision to leave Manchester United” and admits he was initially shocked by the intensity of Juventus’ training sessions.
The 34-year-old won five Premier League titles as well as the Champions League in eight years at Old Trafford before leaving to join Juventus last July.
Evra, who has won the league and cup double in his debut campaign in Serie A, is set to appear in his fifth Champions League final and his third against Barcelona on Saturday evening.
“It was really difficult for me to leave Manchester United. I left for a personal choice,” Evra told Sky Sports. “It doesn’t matter if you go somewhere and you’re still winning – it’s always the wrong decision to leave a club like Manchester United.
“It was a shock at the beginning because, to be fair, I did not expect the way Juventus Football Club were working. They work really hard.
“I think the training sessions are more difficult than the game. In pre-season I remember the manager [Massimiliano ] Allegri always asking me ‘Pat, are you OK’ – I was always saying ‘for the moment I’m still alive’. And it was true, because it was difficult. I’d never worked so hard in my life.
“It’s a great experience because, even for my age now, I feel like I’m more powerful than when I was younger. I qualify myself like a bottle of wine – the more I get older, the more it tastes sweet!”
