Evra happy he won't face Rooney at the Euros

France left-back Patrice Evra is delighted that he wouldn’t have to face his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney at the Euro 2012. The 26-year-old striker is serving a two-match ban following a red card against Montenegro in the qualifier stage, and will have to sit out against France in England’s opening match. Evra said:

It’s one less problem France will have to deal with as we look to make an impact in the tournament. Naturally, I sympathise with Rooney. It’s a massive blow for England, losing him for the opening two games. But I’m not going to sit here and say I’m sorry I don’t have to mark him.

Rooney is the type of player you want on your side, he’s not someone I’m too keen to be playing against because I know the impact he can have. On his day, he is one of the best strikers in the world. So when you are facing opponents weakened by the loss of a star player, you try to take advantage.

France have had a turbulent time since the 2010 World Cup and Evra believes it is vital for the Les Bleus to perform well against England, if France are to live up to expectations. He added:

It’s important to start well, so the game against England is crucial. It’s not going to be easy for either England or France, but that’s not to say the expectation on either side is lessened. There is always pressure to perform and have a good tournament, but the expectations of other people are no less than the pressure we put on ourselves.

We are going into this with an open mind, but we aspire to meet with success and it will be no different for England. Beating England would mean much more than three points to us. It will lay down a marker, it will give the team vital confidence going into the next game.

Our priority at this stage is to ensure we reach the quarter-finals and then take it from there.

Both football playing nations are entering the tournament with the underdog tag but the 31-year-old left back is refusing to rule out both teams, despite expecting a fierce competition.

It’s all about the usual suspects like Spain, Germany, Holland and Italy. But why not France and England? There is no point having a negative attitude. All you can do is play to the best of your ability and if that isn’t good enough, it’s hard to be held accountable if you don’t win.

People forget that sometimes in football, your opponents are better. It’s not a case of you were worse than them, that you failed because you didn’t play well. And to win a major tournament, there is always an element of luck involved.