Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Monaco defender Patrice Evra, manager Alex Ferguson has confirmed. The 24-year-old France international will complete his move to Old Trafford for a fee reported to be around £5 million, provided he passes a medical on Monday.

"The deal's done and he joins us on Monday," Ferguson told a news conference. "He gives us a different option in the left-back position. He's naturally left-footed, very quick and he's a good footballer."

Irishman John O'Shea has been filling the left back role in the absence of Gabriel Heinze but United have continued to leak soft goals, a failing which has seen them slip 13 points behind Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premiership.

Evra is expected to be part of Raymond Domenech's French World Cup squad this summer and is one of the most highly-rated defenders in France.

His arrival at United, while not yet certain, could signal the exit of Mikael Silvestre, whose form this season has not matched that of previous years.

United completed the signing of £7 million Serbian centre-half Nemanja Vidic from Spartak Moscow yesterday.