Making your debut for Manchester United is supposed to be one of the most memorable days of any player's professional career.
But for Patrice Evra it is still one which haunts him until this day. The French full back started his first game for United just four days after he signed in 2006 and he certainly caught the attention of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Evra had the unenviable task of a Manchester derby to kick start his United career and after an horrendous first-half performance he felt the wrath of the Scottish manager.
"You might remember that I made my debut away to Manchester City," Evra told The Players' Tribune. "Big derby. The game kicked off at 12.45 pm, which was unusual for me as a Frenchman. I’m not big on traditional breakfasts, so I didn’t know what to eat to get ready.
"I went for pasta and beans. I got sick. I was vomiting. I went to my room wondering what to do.
"Should I tell Ferguson that I can’t play, that I’m sick?
"No Patrice, you can’t! You’ll look soft and scared. You have to play. On the bus to the stadium, I was feeling dizzy. It was sunny, it felt hot. In Manchester! Come on…
"I went up for a header against Trevor Sinclair. BOOM! An elbow in my face. Blood everywhere. I was losing it.
"You know the cartoons where you have a bubble that says what the character is thinking? My bubble was saying, Oh my God, these guys are so fast, so strong. It was so nice in Monte Carlo.…
"At halftime, we were 2–0 down. Ferguson was raging. “And YOU, Patrice,” he shouted. “That’s enough for you! You sit down and watch now, because you have to learn English football.” I took off my boots, wiped away some blood. We lost 3–1. I was really down."
