THEY were key figures in one of the most successful Manchester United sides of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
But Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic did not always see eye to eye – despite winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League together.
Things got so bad between the defenders that Fergie was forced to shift Rio Ferdinand to left-sided centre-back to separate them.
Speaking to the Red Devils’ official website, Evra revealed the three-month feud between them threatened to destabilise the dressing room.
Evra said: “We had a fight, me and (Vidic), and didn’t speak for three months.
“We played together and we didn’t even say a word. I never told him to go left or go right. He was the same.
“Ferguson had to swap Rio Ferdinand to play on the left side with me.
“It was like that for three months until, after a game, I remember he came to me in the dressing room and gave me a high-five.
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“Everyone was like ‘finally’ because we were best friends together, Vida and me. We have a deep story together.
“I love him so much. We struggled but we were really real, me and him.
“If we were doing something wrong, we’d argue but, in the same way, it was a really great relationship.”
Evra and Vidic joined United in the same January 2006 transfer window and initially both struggled to get up to speed at Old Trafford.
And despite the clashes between them, France legend Evra admitted they bonded in those early days as they adapted to the Premier League.
He added: “We arrived at the same time and we struggled together. We were at the same hotel, I remember, and we were so bad at the beginning, me and him.
“The manager sent us to play with the reserves and the coach was Rene (Meulensteen). After 45 minutes, he subbed us – in the reserves.
“In the dressing room, Vida was saying, ‘My agent called me, I need to go back to Moscow.’ Also, my agent called me and said they had (interest from) AS Roma. It was difficult here.
“So we struggled together. It’s why I have a lot of respect for Vida.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
