London (AFP) – West Ham signed former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra on a free transfer on Wednesday, with the Frenchman set to link up again with former boss David Moyes.
Evra has won multiple league titles and the Champions League in an illustrious career but his spell at Marseille ended abruptly in November after he launched a kung-fu kick at a supporter.
Evra, who joins the Hammers on a contract until the end of June, worked with Hammers manager Moyes during his time at Old Trafford and is looking forward to linking up with his old boss.
“Im really happy to be a Hammer, to be back in the Premier League and I love this game,” said the left-back.
“When you have to make a deal and money is not the issue, the deal could be done in five minutes,” added the Evra in a statement on the club’s website. “The main thing was for me to join West Ham and to help my teammates to win as many games as we can.
“It was the fastest thing I have done in my life, because both parties wanted to work together, so it was very easy to make an agreement.”
West Ham are 12th in the Premier League with 12 matches to play, but are only three points above the teams in 18th and 19th, two of the three relegation places.
Evra’s departure from France came after he lashed out in response to a group of supporters who had come to the pitchside to berate him for what they considered sub-par displays.
The 36-year-old, capped 81 times by France, was hit with a season-long ban that only applies to UEFA club competitions.
Alex Ferguson took the Senegal-born player to Manchester United from Monaco in January 2006, and won five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
After spending his final season at Old Trafford working under Moyes, the defender moved to Italian champions Juventus in 2014 and enjoyed more domestic success before moving back to France in January 2017.
Evra’s career has been dogged by controversy, not all of his making. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa he led a revolt of the French players against coach Raymond Domenech.
A year later, while playing for United, Evra was the target of a racist insult from then Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan was banned for eight matches and fined over the incident.
