Former Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has announced his retirement, coinciding with the expiry date of his contract at the club.
He had two stints with the Red Devils, recording 241 appearances across all competitions.
He won the Champions League, three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and two League Cups.
Across his career, he made 536 appearances for five clubs – Man United, Sunderland, Royal Antwerp, West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City.
He also earned 107 caps for Northern Ireland and received the MBE award in 2023 for his contribution to football.
Following his retirement, Man United have confirmed his appointment as the club’s head of loans and pathways.
Evans will work closely with the director of football, Jason Wilcox, and the director of the Academy to ‘further enhance processes which maximise individual player development and prepare young talent to perform in the first team.’
Wilcox believes Evans perfectly fits his new role at United.
He told Manutd.com: “Having just finished his exceptional playing career, Jonny is the perfect role model for our young players.
“Jonny’s knowledge of what it takes to succeed at Manchester United will be of great benefit to each of them as we continue to develop world-class talent capable of performing in our first team.
With the Mancunian giants not playing in Europe next season, the academy players will unlikely get enough playing time with Ruben Amorim’s side.
Evans must ensure that youngsters, such as Ethan Wheatley, Ethan Ennis, Dan Gore, and others, secure loan moves to clubs where they are guaranteed to play regularly.
Securing more game time elsewhere would ease their transition into United’s senior squad.
Evans is also on the verge of completing his UEFA A Licence, potentially giving him the chance to be the club’s academy head coach in the future.
His former team-mate Darren Fletcher is in talks to become the U18s lead coach following the departure of Adam Lawrence.