Manchester United fans will have been puzzled to see links to a former fan favourite on their social feeds this morning, and funnily enough it's not Cristiano Ronaldo who has been linked with a return to Old Trafford, as the world has apparently accepted that ship has sailed.
Instead, it's larger-than-life lover of this game Patrice Evra who has been tipped for a return to Man United, as the Frenchman has played just five times for Juventus this season and Jose Mourinho's only remaining headache in his team selection seems to be at left back.
There doesn't appear to be much to the rumours other than the fact that Evra still openly declares his love for Man United on a daily basis, but oddly enough Rio Ferdinand decided to take to Instagram to determine whether these links were legitimate:
Evra also dealt with the speculation on his Instagram, in his own unique way:
So maybe there is something to the speculation? If Ferdinand and Evra are talking about it... Is this a 'no smoke without fire' scenario?
It's certainly possible. With injuries and inconsistency meaning that Luke Shaw has not quite returned to the form he is capable of, and Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, and Daley Blind seemingly sharing the role due to a lack of natural left-backs in the squad, Evra would see some gametime if he was available, most likely.
Then you've got to consider his relationship with Paul Pogba, which is extremely close as we saw during Euro 2016, and the rest of the Man United squad. He'd be a big boost in the dressing room for sure, and if Luke Shaw was open to the idea he could be an excellent mentor for the young Englishman who has beens struggling...
But is he still up to it?
Man United fans do love Evra, but there is no avoiding that he came under a lot of justified criticism in his last two seasons for the club. Evra's positional sense made him somewhat of a liability under David Moyes in particular, and while he has done reasonably well for Juventus, he has done so by utilising his attacking strengths with the safety of defenders like Chiellini, Bonucci, and Barzaghli covering for him at the back.
Ultimately, it appears to be a low-risk move for both parties. It's hard to imagine a situation where Evra tarnishes his reputation with the fans, and he would surely accept not being first-choice when everyone is fit, so the positives seem to outweight the negatives.
He wouldn't cost a lot, he wouldn't demand big wages, and everybody, from the players to the fans, loves him. If ever there was a no-lose situation, surely this is it?
