Evra's Red delight

"Walking out at Old Trafford is just unbelievable. It's a real privilege and I thank the Gods every day that I play for United."

Patrice Evra

When Patrice Evra walks onto the Old Trafford pitch these days, the Frenchman does so secure in the knowledge that he has both the manager's and the home crowd's full support.

Following Gabriel Heinze's exit to Real Madrid and Mikael Silvestre's season-ending injury sustained in last weekend's 1-0 win over Everton, Evra is now Sir Alex Ferguson's undisputed first-choice left back. But it's hardly a case of victory by default.

Instead, over the last 18 months, the 26-year-old has risen to prominence on the back of a number of colossal displays on the left side of defence. Strong in the tackle, agile and surprisingly good in the air for someone who's just 5'8", Evra has all the necessary attributes of a top-class defender.

And yet it's his willingness to get forward and run at opposition defenders that's arguably won him more attention and endeared him to even the most critical match-going Reds. Speedy and direct, Evra also boasts a repertoire of tricks and flicks that regularly lures fans to their feet.

Rewind to early 2006, however, and Evra admits he was worried United supporters would never take to him. A bad mistake on his debut – against Manchester City, no less – was followed by a string of less-than-inspiring performances while he took time to adapt to the English game and settle in a new country.

"My first six months were very difficult," Evra told Manchester United Radio, "but the manager pulled me aside and told me that all the fans had been applauding me. I was concerned but he said he hadn't heard any fans say they were unhappy with me.

"That gave me lots of confidence and now I'm doing well. And that's why I think this is the best club in the world and we have the best fans in the world. Manchester United is not just a team – it's like a big family.

"In France I never played in front of fans like this. Walking out at Old Trafford is just unbelievable. It's a real privilege and I thank the Gods every day that I play for United. Every time I play I just try and respect the shirt and do my best for the club."

Evra is part of a back four that's now not conceded for five matches, a statistic he takes great delight in.

"We're defending very well at the moment, but it's not just the back four doing the work. In Edwin van der Sar we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world and his confidence is sky-high at the moment.

"He has had a great start to the season, which stemmed from his three penalty saves against Chelsea in the Community Shield. Now the most important thing is that we keep picking up three points."