'I'm gonna put it in my boot' - how a chicken fillet helped Manchester United sign a Premier League great

Patrice Evra is widely regarded as one of Manchester United's greatest-ever left-backs.

The Frenchman arrived at Old Trafford from Monaco for what would turn out to be an absolute bargain fee of £5.5million in January 2006. He would go on to make 379 appearances, netting 10 goals and registering 38 assists.

During his time with United, Evra won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, a Champions League and a Club World Cup. He became one of legendary Reds manager Sir Alex Ferguson's most trusted players and became a mainstay in a formidable United defence alongside the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

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But all of his achievements at United may not have happened had it not been for a humble chicken fillet. Evra had been enjoying a successful career in his homeland under current French national team manager Didier Deschamps.

He shot to prominence as part of the Monaco team that earned a place in the 2004 Champions League final before eventually being beaten by Jose Mourinho's Porto side. Evra's trajectory was on the up, and it wasn't long before he was attracting interest from some of the biggest sides in Europe.

The likes of Arsenal, Juventus and Inter Milan were all said to have been interested in acquiring the defender's signature and a big-money move seemed to be on the way. But, while on international duty with the France under-21 side, Evra was struck down by injury.

Coming out of a tackle slightly worse for wear, Evra then found himself struggling to get over the knock. Speaking to The Players' Tribune in 2019,