Patrice Evra has admitted that he will be sad to see Nemanja Vidic leave Manchester United when the defender joins Inter Milan this summer.
The 32-year-old has agreed to join the Serie A side when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Vidic moved to Old Trafford in January 2006, the same month that Evra joined the club from AS Monaco.
"It's painful to lose Vida," Evra told United's official website. "For me, he is a great centre-back. When you see a player like Vidic leaving the club, you feel really sad.
"When you speak about Vida, it's like you're speaking about myself. We joined the club together. I remember the first game was so hard. In one match, we played in the reserves together. We were so poor!
"It was a difficult moment but we stuck together. We've been in the same hotel going into training and, together, we've won the same trophies. I'm really sad to lose him."
Vidic has won five Premier League titles, three League Cups and the Champions League during his eight-year spell with United.
Steven Toplis
