Former Manchester United captain and current Olympique Marseille player Patrice Evra has been sent off before an Europa League Match in Portugal after kicking one of his own team’s fans in the head.

Evra was red-carded during the warm-up to Olympique Marseille’s Group I tie with Vitoria in Guinmaraes on Thursday, when he got involved in an altercation with a supporter.

The incident, which began as a verbal argument, quickly escalated after the supporter scaled the barriers to shout abuse from the sidelines.

Video footage showed the substitute swinging an acrobatic kick at the fan before Marseille’s 1-0 defeat.

Watch the incident below:

It’s all kicked off at Setúbal…

Patrice Evra showing good flexibility at 36 to kick a fan. 😳 #EuropaLeague #UEL pic.twitter.com/Af9NhuPcZy

— Oddschecker (@Oddschecker) November 2, 2017

He was then ushered away by a teammate before referee Tamas Bognar dismissed the French international.

UEFA is expected to rule on any further action later this week.

French newspaper L’Equipe reported Marseille supporters had been jeering the 36-year-old for half an hour as the players prepared for the game.

Marseille manager Rudi Garcia revealed afterwards Evra had reacted to taunts from the fans but still criticised his actions.

“Pat has experience and he must not react, it’s obvious,” Garcia told BeIN Sports.

“Patrice is a more-than-experienced player and we cannot respond to insults so low and so incredible because they come from one of our supporters.”

Evra, who joined Marseille from Juventus on free transfer in January, has made just two appearances this season.

The incident has been compared to fellow Frenchman Eric Cantona’s infamous “kung-fu kick” during Manchester United’s match against Crystal Palace in January 1995.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFsW6vvBwHk

Cantona was banned for nine months by the Football Association for the altercation.

It is not the first time Evra has been caught in controversy.

In 2011, the Manchester United defender was racially abused by then-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. Suarez was found to have used “insulting words with a reference to Mr Evra’s colour”, the FA commission stated at the time.

Suarez was fined £40,000 ($A67,000) and banned for eight games.

Evra won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during his eight years with Manchester United.