Evra Backs de Gea

Patrice Evra is backing new signing David de Gea to fill the considerable goalkeeping void left by Edwin van der Sar’s retirement.

Spanish stopper De Gea agreed to join the Reds from Atlético Madrid on Wednesday and has already set his sights on emulating Edwin’s achievements at the club.

The Dutchman won three league titles and a Champions League in his six seasons at United, and Evra says De Gea will be given every chance to make the same impact.

"David is a good goalkeeper," Evra said. "We don’t know him yet but we’ll give him a nice welcome.

"It’s never easy to replace a big goalkeeper like Van der Sar, and I’m a little bit sad that Edwin has retired, but De Gea is the future now.

"He has to work hard because it’s not easy to do the job Edwin did, but he’ll be given every opportunity.

"We wish him all the best because he has come to the biggest club in the world, and it’s important for him to give 100% every day."

Evra was speaking to MUTV in Beijing, China, where he was appearing as part of United’s Asia Trophy Tour.