Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Man Utd, Sir Alex Ferguson told Patrice Evra before retirement

Patrice Evra has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson told him Cristiano Ronaldo would "99 per cent" return to Manchester United shortly before announcing his shock retirement.

Evra, who left United last summer to join Juventus, says Ferguson informed the left-back he would stay on as manager for another five years before stunning him with the news of his planned Old Trafford departure in 2013.

The France international described it as a "big trauma" that made him feel lost, but that he has since rediscovered his best in Serie A and believes he has learned more at Juve than Monaco or at United.

Evra added that he is concerned with the state of English teams and their ability to compete in Europe.

Regarding an emotional last few months under Ferguson at United, he told The Sunday Times: "I remember we talked maybe two weeks before [he announced his retirement] and he said 'Patrice, I will be here for another five years.'

"I said 'yes boss, let's do it'. I was so convinced. He was looking younger and younger. 

"He even told me '99 per cent, Cristiano Ronaldo will come'. I was like 'wow, we are ready to bounce back and to even win the Champions League again'.

"After that everyone knows what happened. You know when you are lost and you feel like the world is crumbling? It was a big trauma. I felt lost."

Evra moved to Juventus for £1.2m and not only won a domestic treble in his first season but also reached the final of the Champions League.

The 34-year-old says he didn't expect to learn so much about the game in Italy, where he believes it is more like chess than the "boxing matches" in England.

He added: "I learnt a lot about a way to be more professional - even if I was already a massive professional in Manchester. I was sometimes thinking, 'you win a lot of trophies for Manchester but you could have done much more if you had known the Italian way to play'.

"I always say the Premier League is like two boxers fighting. The one who is least strong gets tired, he goes down. Here it is like a chess game, and you have to understand every move before you play with your quality, your strength, your skill. That's the difference.

"I am a little bit worried about English football. Why? In Europe, being fast, being strong, playing only with your quality, you are going to struggle against teams that prepare.

"That is where England has to work, it is about tactics. But it is not easy because the players won't accept it."