Larne Football Club received a surprise visit from former Champions League winner Patrice Evra ahead of Thursday’s historic UEFA Conference League tie against Shamrock Rovers.
The ex-Manchester United star, who helped them lift the trophy in 2008 as well as five Premier Leagues, dropped by at Inver Park on Monday and chatted to manager Tiernan Lynch ahead of the clash at Windsor Park.
Evra, a good friend of Larne’s title sponsor Pride & Pinion owner Nico Leonard, is set to be a VIP guest at the game and as part of his visit to Northern Ireland he dropped down to training to talk about his European experiences with the coaches and players.
Larne are preparing for the biggest game of the club’s history when they become the first Northern Irish side to play a European main draw match on home soil when they welcome Shamrock Rovers to the national stadium on Thursday.
The Inver Reds qualified for the league phase of the Conference League with a sensational Play-Off victory over Lincoln Red Imps and are now living the European dream.
After opening the league phase with a 3-0 defeat to Norwegian side Molde, Lynch and his side will be hoping to make Thursday even more historic by becoming the first Northern Irish side to win a main draw match, too.
Evra wasn’t the only notable visitor to Inver Park early in match week with former two-weight world champion boxer Carl Frampton also dropping down on Monday to do some pre-match work for broadcaster TNT Sports.