Disappointment for Manchester United fans as Patrice Evra nears Premier League return

If we're being completely honest, few would have really expected Patrice Evra to return to Manchester United this month.

The left-back ended his eight-year stay at Old Trafford in 2014, moving to Juventus. Having added to an already impressive collection of winners medals in Turin, the now 35-year-old's days with the Italian champions appear to be numbered. He's already slipped down the pecking order at Juve, and the club are being linked with bringing in a couple of new faces to bolster their full-back positions. It seems inevitable that Evra will have to move on sooner or later. All this considered, an Instagram post from Evra's former United teammate, Rio Ferdinand, raised hopes among United supporters that the Frenchman - still adored by many of the club's fans - could make an unlikely return. Now though, any such hopes appear to have been dashed by the latest reports from Sky Sport Italia. According to the reports, Evra is indeed set for a move and the Premier League will be his destination, but instead of a move back to Manchester, it's believed that Evra is close to joining Crystal Palace. Newly-appointed manager Sam Allardyce is believed to be keen to add Evra, who was his country's first choice left-back during Euro 2016 last summer, to his ranks. They even go as far as saying that such a deal could be done and dusted by the end of the week. Mop away those tears, United fans. Evra won't be making any glorious return against Liverpool on Sunday.