It's time to find a new left-back to replace Patrice Evra at Manchester United

Evra has been an excellent servant to Manchester United

All good things come to an end. This age old saying can be used in the case of Patrice Evra who is certain to leave Manchester United at the end of the season. The Frenchman has been one of United’s most consistent and hard working players over the years and will go down in history as one of the best players in his position. Evra has been ever present for the Premier League Champions for seven years, but age catches up with everyone and one must do away with the old to make way for the new. The 32-year-old still has some years of football left in him but cannot play back-to-back games anymore. The player’s agent recently revealed that his client will not be renewing his contract with Manchester United which I believe is the right thing to do.

Manchester United manager David Moyes knows that the club needs a fresh pair of legs on the left flank and has been monitoring players like Luke Shaw and Leighton Baines who are certainly worthy enough to replace Evra. Moyes’s predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson too knew that Evra needed backup and brought in Alexander Buttner as competition for United’s vice-captain, but the Dutchman has failed to prove that he has what it takes to be a long term Manchester United player. It goes without saying that anybody who’s given the task of replacing Evra will have some big boots to fill.

Manchester United are going through an extremely tough phase and desperately require some major rebuilding. It would be in the club’s best interest to find someone to take over from Evra sooner rather than later. Leighton Baines can be an ideal replacement as he offers a lot of support in the attacking department as well as being an expert in set pieces, something Manchester United have been lacking in recent times. Luke Shaw is another great option for the Red Devils. The 18-year-old has superb pace along with some excellent technical ability which will one day eclipse that of Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines. United will have a world class star in the making if they sign Shaw.

Another option for Manchester United is to put their faith in one of the youth players to replace Patrice Evra much like they did with Gary Neville. Neville was successfully replaced by Rafael Da Silva who has surpassed the abilities of his predecessor and could be one of the best right backs in the world in a few years. Tyler Blackett is a young left back on Manchester United’s books who has garnered praise for his attacking abilities. I see no reason why Blackett can’t be called on to replace Evra.

It is a herculean task to find a good left-back, but Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson certainly got it right when they signed Patrice Evra. It took Manchester United seven years to find a worthy replacement for Peter Schmeichel but hopefully the won’t have to wait long to find one for Evra. Evra’s days as a Manchester United player may be coming to an end, but his services to the club will never be forgotten.