Patrice Evra has opened up on David Moyes's 'biggest mistake' during his disastrous 10-month reign as Manchester United boss.
Moyes replaced fellow Scot Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford back in 2013 after the legendary manager opted to retire following his 13th Premier League triumph the previous season.
Taking over from Ferguson always promised to be a difficult task, and Moyes never settled into the role as he struggled to win over the fans and players.
He was sacked in April 2014 having failed to see out a full season, but Evra believes the writing was on the wall right from the start.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Evra explained: 'His biggest mistake was in his first speech to the squad, he mentioned how we knew how to win already so he wanted our help to help him win trophies, which raised eyebrows amongst the squad.
David Moyes lasted just 10 months at Man United manager before being sacked in 2014
Patrice Evra believes Moyes was doomed from the start after his first speech 'upset' United's players
'He made quite a few mistakes which made the players upset, so there were a few occasions when I went to Sir Alex Ferguson’s house, asking him to speak with Moyes as he was upsetting quite a few of the players.'
Moyes had wanted to stamp his own mark on the United squad when he first arrived at the club, and was keen to bring Everton duo Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini with him from Goodison Park.
Fellaini did follow Moyes to Old Trafford, but Baines ended up staying put at Everton.
Evra admitted his relationship with Moyes was initially strained due to the manager wanting to bring in Baines as a potential replacement for him, but claimed they put their differences aside after having a one-to-one conversation in training.
'When he first became manager, I didn’t have a good relationship with him because there was talk of him wanting to sign Leighton Baines, without even seeing me play properly.
Evra revealed that Moyes apologised to him after trying to sign fellow left back Leighton Baines when he first arrived at Old Trafford
'However, one day we were in training, and he came over to me and apologised for the rumours about Baines, and I think he was expecting me to be upset with him. But I wasn’t because bringing in competition to Manchester United was a good thing.
'When Moyes left the club, I said to the players to stop blaming Moyes for our performances, but we weren’t good and that was because we feared Sir Alex Ferguson.
'For me, no matter what person came into the club, whether that be the club doctor or the chef, I would fight for him and back him because I am fighting for the badge and for the fans.
'Ultimately, you can have a good relationship with the manager, but you don’t fight for him, you fight for the fans and the badge.'
Wayne Rooney joined Evra on the podcast, having played under Moyes at United and Everton during his glittering career.
Wayne Rooney feels Moyes acted differently at United to when he was at Everton which ultimately led to his downfall
The former England captain felt Moyes behaved differently at the two clubs, which ultimately led to his downfall at United.
I was a player under David Moyes at Everton and Manchester United and the main thing for me was that he wasn’t the same person at United than he was at Everton,' Rooney said.
'He never felt that he could have the control like he did at Everton and unfortunately, he was always going to struggle at a club like Manchester United.'
Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney were speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.