The Man Utd defender was not fit to feature in Saturday’s win at Burnley and may have watched himself fall further down the pecking order.
A first start for Manchester United in eight years on Saturday night and Jonny Evans looked every bit the experienced centre-back he is during Saturday’s 1-0 win at Burnley.
Erik ten Hag’s side calmed the storm of three consecutive defeats with a hard-fought victory at Turf Moor, a no-frills away-day performance settled by Bruno Fernandes. The United captain latched onto a raking long ball before arrowing his volley into the far corner, evoking memories of Robin van Persie vs Aston Villa.
Wayne Rooney was the creator-in-chief that day in 2013 with Evans watching on from centre-back, but on Saturday he took the impetus. Stepping into Burnley’s half, the 35-year-old capped off his first start for United in eight years with the crucial assist.
Evans only signed for United as an emergency option in the summer and that is exactly what he was on Saturday night. Ten Hag’s decision to start the Northern Ireland international came with Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw injured, Raphael Varane fit enough only for the bench and Harry Maguire failing a late assessment.
Should any of the former trio return, then that would no doubt see Evans dropped. But after Saturday’s consummate performance, it is hard to see Ten Hag preferring Maguire any time soon.
Such has been the 30-year-old’s luck over the last 12 months that when seemingly any other option in central defence is unavailable, he picks up an issue in training. United could name a full line-up of injured players last week and Maguire was even on the bench for that.
After training during the week, he was not deemed ready for Saturday’s clash and his absence opened the door for Evans, who grabbed the chance with both hands. The Ulsterman could have had a goal to add to his assist but will have pleased Ten Hag most for his defensive composure in keeping a second clean sheet of the season.
“He comes in, he is calm, he is composed,” the Reds boss said of Evans after full-time at Turf Moor. “He has a good s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 set and when you have things against you, you can bounce back and you have to have character in the team to do that.
“We have seen [his influence] in the training. When he was in the summer, it was to train with the under-23s, I said to Fletch, ‘come and bring him to the first team, maybe he can help us’.
“I already saw in pre-season, the problems in the numbers in the squad. We decided to sign him because I think he can really contribute to the squad and today you see how important how he can be.”
Evans may start in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash against Crystal Palace but will likely return to his supporting role against the same opponent next weekend. Varane came off the bench on Saturday night and is half of Ten Hag’s first-choice partnership, while Victor Lindelof is the Dutchman’s preferred option in Martinez’s absence.
The Argentinian has been poor this season but will come straight back into the starting line-up once he is fit, while Luke Shaw will also be available in a more central area upon returning. But a competent 89-minute performance from Evans on Saturday night justified the decision to sign him and already looks to have put him ahead of Maguire in the pecking order.
What that means for the £80million man remains to be seen. His place in the England squad is under growing threat with minutes scarce and young talent such as Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill excelling at their respective clubs.
Gareth Southgate’s side will be in Germany next summer for the European Championships and while Maguire continues to perform for his national side, there is only so long he can continue to start when not playing for his club. United sanctioned his departure for £30million in the summer and it’s hard to see them resisting a similar offer in January.
