The Man United legend who Wayne Rooney mocked and Paul Scholes wanted to 'leave on a free' after he signed

Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were not keen on this one Manchester United hero when he first joined the club.

The United pair, who were regulars in the first team, made over 1200 joint appearances for the Red Devils.

Across this time, they were part of the the dominant Sir Alex Ferguson sides that secured glory in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League.

Standards were high across the first team, which meant the veterans within the squad were wary of any new arrivals and whether or not they'd be able to cut it in red.

One of which was United hero Patrice Evra. The left-back arrived at the club in 2006 for a fee in the region of £5.5million - however things didn't immediately go to plan.

Speaking to Betfair, Evra said: "I love to be challenged in my life. I think that's when you see the best version of myself.

"I'll be honest with you, players like Paul Scholes, they said: 'Patrice I think you were a joke! I think we should send you back for free to Monaco!'.

"I remember some players like Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney they were laughing at me in training when people were pushing me down because I needed to adapt my football.

Former Man United defender Evra says players only join City for money (Image: PA)

"I was a skilful player, I didn't know that first you needed to be strong. So first I went in the gym, which I never did while I was playing in France."

Evra went on to make 273 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions, where he would also secure five Premier League titles, three League Cups, one Champions League and one FIFA Club World Cup.

He is widely regarded as one of the best left backs to have worn the United shirt and now regularly appears as a pundit for United games.