Jonny Evans has called time on his playing days at Manchester United but will remain with the club in a new role as the Red Devils look to tap into his knowledge and experience
Jonny Evans said goodbye to Man United but will now take a role off the pitch
Jonny Evans said goodbye to Man United but will now take a role off the pitch
(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United and Jonny Evans have agreed a deal keeping him at Old Trafford in a new role after he confirmed his retirement. The Northern Irishman is due to remain on the staff in a youth development role.
Evans had two separate spells on the red side of Manchester and was still contributing last season at the age of 37. The club are keeping his wealth of knowledge on the books with a role helping to look after the loans of emerging talents.
United place a huge value on Evans' character, professionalism and winning experience. He is also one of the few who can reference what it was like to play in Sir Alex Ferguson's winning culture. They feel a role in bridging the pathway between academy and senior football is a good fit, reports the Athletic.
Les Parry, United’s loans manager, left the club last November to take a similar job in Saudi Arabia and Evans is set to fill the void. His job will be to identify the best clubs to send their young players to and then monitor their progress, offering support where needed.
Evans returned to United in 2023 and made an impact on last summer’s pre-season tour to America where spoke impressively about the staff members losing their jobs in the first round of redundancies.
In his second stint with the club he made 43 appearances, but his impact around the club was also noted. He would offer advice to younger players and giving his insight into United’s heritage.
Across his first spell in Manchester he won three Premier League titles, two League Cups, a Champions League and a Club World Cup. He would make his debut in September 2007 under Ferguson and play regularly before eventually leaving after several managers had come and gone.
The defender returned to Manchester for a second spell in 2023
The defender returned to Manchester for a second spell in 2023
In 2015 he went to join West Brom and then ended up at Leicester City, where he impressed in Brendan Rodgers ' side, winning the FA Cup in 2021. Evans returned on a free transfer under Erik ten Hag, initially being paid the minimum wage due to being registered as a short-term employee.
In all, across his two stints at United, Evans played 241 games, scoring eight goals. He also earned 107 caps for Northern Ireland, helping them make the last 16 at Euro 2016. He was awarded an MBE in 2023.
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