Rooney deserves new bumper contract, says Evra

The French full-back feels the striker's decision to commit his long-term future to Manchester United is a good sign for the club and its fans.

 

Patrice Evra says Wayne Rooney “deserves to have a big contract” after the England international signed a new deal at Manchester United.

Rooney's new deal with the club is reported to be worth £300,000 [€363,000] per week and will keep him at the club until June 2019.

The striker had previously appeared keen to leave Old Trafford, with Chelsea having two bids rejected during the summer, but defender Evra says he fully deserves his new contract."He deserved to have a big contract,” the full-back told MUTV. “I’m so happy for him because he is working hard, and it's a good sign for the future of Manchester United, for the fans and for everyone. I'm really pleased with Wayne because he deserves it."

Rooney celebrated his new deal with a superb goal against Crystal Palace as United ran out 2-0 winners, and Evra, who provided the assist for Rooney's strike, was impressed with his finish.

“What a great finish it was, my cross was not easy to take, but it was a great volley," he added.

“It was job done. It was really important, we have had some bad results and we knew we could not afford another defeat. I think we saw a strong Manchester United, confident to play with the ball, and I'm really pleased for all the lads."

The game also saw Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand feature at centre-back and Evra says the duo can give Man United a boost defensively.

"It's good to have them back, they looked really strong tonight. We had a lot of experience, and, when Rio came on at Arsenal, I thought he was fantastic,” he said.

“You could see tonight with Rio and Vida in good form that we can be solid and get more clean sheets.

“But don't forget Chris Smalling can play there, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans can get back from injury. We have good centre-backs and that's important for the team.

"I'm happy to help the team, but most important was the team performance. It does not matter if I'm Man of the Match. I'm just happy with the three points because what matters to me is Man United winning, not Patrice Evra winning Man of the Match.”