Manchester United News: Evra's Leadership Paramount in Red Devils' Trophy Chase

It's been a terrific start to the Premier League season for Manchester United. Perhaps not even manager Sir Alex Ferguson could have expected the youth movement to go this smoothly. Patrice Evra was smart to tell his teammates and the supporters to calm down as expectations have continued to grow.

The Red Devils are 4-0-0 and have scored 18 goals while conceding just three. They also beat Manchester City in the Community Shield match to start the season after a strong showing in the World Football Challenge in the United States.

While reaching for the stars is fine, Evra reminded everybody that it's important to keep your feet on the ground (via ESPNsoccernet).

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"We are making it look easy but nothing is. I have a lot of respect for Manchester City – they have a strong squad."

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"But you know we have to calm down. It is only four games. Things can change quickly. Football is like a pyramid. It is easy to reach the top but to stay there is difficult. That's why I want [Rooney] to keep training hard. After each session he does some finishing practice, which is something he didn't do a long time ago."

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Manchester United are extremely talented and will likely have a very successful season, but it was important for Evra to come out and make these statements. Especially for the young guys who might not understand that it won't always be this easy.

Players like Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley have stepped in and filled their roles admirably. But they, just like all players, will go through slumps during the season. They have to know that working hard is all they can control, sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce the right way for them or the team.

Keeping players like Evra as the foundation of the squad during the offseason was a wise move by Ferguson. Somebody who has been through the battles and played several grueling schedules to help guide the youngsters through the season.

Every team needs players to step up and take a leadership role. Fellow players can hear the same thing from coaches 50 times, but it might not resonate until one of their teammates pounds the point home.

Evra continues to be a productive player into his 30's and if some of the younger members of the Red Devils' squad follow his lead, they'll be well on their way to long careers as well.