'I blame myself, I blame Sir Alex Ferguson': Manchester United legend blames himself and former manager for 'chaos' currently at Old Trafford

Sir Alex Ferguson looks on during a Manchester United game against Charlton Athletic in May 2003.
Ferguson has been blamed for the 'chaos' at Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United are in a state of flux - and arguably have been for the past decade - with Erik ten Hag consistently under pressure and the Premier League trophy proving ever-more elusive with each passing season.

Bizarrely, though, one club legend has placed the blame for the club's current malaise at his and Sir Alex Ferguson's door (if that's even still possible, now he's being relieved of his ambassadorial role).

That's despite Ferguson being the last Manchester United manager to win the Premier League title in 2013, with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and now Ten Hag having all failed to emulate the Scotsman.

Manchester United are in a malaise because of Sir Alex Ferguson and Patrice Evra

Manchester United's French defender Patrice Evra (L) and Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson (C) lift the Premier League trophy after the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Swansea City at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on May 12, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ANDREW YATES RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications (Photo by ANDREW YATES / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW YATES/AFP via Getty Images)

Evra and Ferguson enjoyed plenty of success together (Image credit: Getty Images)

Patrice Evra played for Manchester United for eight-and-a-half seasons between 2006 and 2014, winning five league titles, the Champions League and three League Cups. Ferguson spent triple the length of time at Old Trafford.

As Evra pinpoints where things have been going wrong for the club, the lack of trophy-winning experience is highlighted. For the Frenchman, he believes he and Sir Alex should have stayed at the club for even longer.

"It's always tough to talk about United right now because back in the day we used to play for the fans, for the badge, for the history," Evra told BBC Sport NI.

Manchester United legend Patrice Evra celebrates winning the Premier League title

Evra celebrates (Image credit: Getty)

"I blame myself, I blame Sir Alex Ferguson. When we left, we left too early and it's difficult for the players because they don't have any example."

While Evra suggests he left too early, the current crop of Manchester United players have all tasted success in some form or another. Casemiro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have all won away from Old Trafford, while Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes know what it takes to win honours in England.

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Despite that, Evra remains supportive of Ten Hag.

"I'm not inside, I don't know what the problem is," he said. "The manager Ten Hag is trying to do his best - it's not good enough. But it's not just about this season, it's since we won the last league in 2013, the club has been like in a chaos.

"I'm a straightforward guy. Even if you put the chef as a manager, I will support any manager."

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.