Patrice Evra hails team spirit as Manchester United battle against injuries to remain in title contention

The Red Devils left-back has praised his teammates efforts following a number of key absentees, and is hopeful they can beat Manchester City to the Premier League title

7 Feb 2012 15:53:00

By Shane Farrington

More On :  Manchester United, Patrice Evra
Patrice Evra, Manchester United
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Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has hailed the efforts of his team-mates to remain within touching distance of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table despite a lengthy injury list.
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The Red Devils have had to do without key players such as Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Rafael for long spells throughout the season, in addition to captain Nemanja Vidic being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign back in December.

Evra has attributed team sprit as the main reason behind United’s form, which sees them just two points off Manchester City with 14 matches remaining.

"It's amazing how many injuries we've had," Evra told MUTV. "I see many teams complaining about the injuries they have but, for us, it has been amazing.

"To lose a player like Nemanja Vidic for the season yet we've coped with that.

"I think to get so close to Manchester City, given the injuries we have had, shows we have really good spirit in the team. That's the most important thing and that's the culture of the club.

"No matter what happens, we don't like to have excuses. I just say 'well done' to every player but the job is not finished. The most important part is still to come."

United battled back from 3-0 down at Chelsea last time out to grab a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw, and Evra is looking forward to his side’s up-coming clashes against Liverpool and Ajax.

He added: "There's still a long time to go. I always say the league is a marathon not a sprint.

"After Chelsea, we have Liverpool and then the Europa League against Ajax. I think that's why we play for Man Utd because we want to play in those type of games. We have to make sure we show that now on the pitch.

"Every game is difficult but we just have to say to ourselves we have to win all of them. I know it's not easy but if you want to win the league, you have to win these sort of games."

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