Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd set to sign ‘useful’ centre-back on one-year deal after fresh Varane injury blow
Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag
Manchester United are reportedly set to offer veteran centre-back Jonny Evans a new one-year contract after an injury blow to Raphael Varane.
Varane is expected to be sidelined for ‘a few weeks’ after picking up a new injury against Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
The France international has suffered several injuries since joining Man Utd two years ago, so adding more depth in the centre-back position is something Erik ten Hag is keen to do.
The manager doesn’t seem convinced by Harry Maguire, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford for much of the summer window.
Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof will most likely be the centre-back pairing of choice as Man Utd face Arsenal on Sunday. They are also faced with a conundrum in the left-back position, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia also injured.
With that in mind, signing Evans for the season could prove to be a smart move from Ten Hag, as a cheap solution to add more experience to his back line.
Man Utd set to offer Evans new deal
Evans joined Man Utd on a short-term deal in July, with his contract set to expire at the end of August. Ten Hag has already hailed the Northern Ireland international’s impact on the squad in pre-season.
“I think he [Evans] helped us, as you said, [with] younger players, but also for numbers here. Not all the internationals were in and we had to manage the load from the players so that was really useful,” Ten Hag said.
“Jonny wants to stay fit, he still wants a career. He played a very good game against Lyon [in pre-season] and you could see how he was mentoring the younger players and I think he was pushing the younger players to a higher level and that can be really helpful.”
Now, according to a report from the Mirror, Man Utd are ‘expected’ to offer Evans a new contract, which will keep him at the club until the end of the season.
The experienced 35-year-old began his career at Old Trafford during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson. He has made over 600 appearances for club and country throughout his career.
Evans has won 11 trophies in that time, including three Premier League titles with United and the 2021 FA Cup with Leicester.
Ten Hag will hope that the centre-back’s presence will help Man Utd to lift another trophy this season, and help provide cover in defence when players, like Varane, are unavailable.