Evra: Best in the Prem

Former Manchester United fullback Paul Parker admits he's a big fan of Patrice Evra.

“Some questioned whether he was going to be strong enough to cope in England when he first arrived,” Parker told manutd.com. “But, in my opinion, he’s the most improved player at Old Trafford in the last two years. It’s taken United a while to find someone of the quality of Denis Irwin to fill that left-back spot, but Evra has made it his own.

“Sir Alex has tried him on the wing a few times and there’s no doubt he can do a job there,” says Parker. “But I think he’s better running onto the ball from a deeper area. He’s great on the overlap and makes intelligent runs that drag defenders wide, opening up the space inside for Ronaldo and Nani to exploit. That kind of unselfish play is why so many wingers find him so easy to play with.”

So is he the best around? “The likes of Gael Clichy and Ashley Cole are certainly up there,” admits Parker, “but I don’t think there is a better left-back in the Premier League than Evra. He’s a class apart.”