Manchester United
Premier League • England
Ten Hag ‘open-minded’ for Jonny Evans stay after brutally banishing existing Man Utd defender
Jonny Evans playing for Man Utd
Jonny Evans could yet receive an offer from Man Utd to remain at the club into the new season, according to reports.
Evans has recently returned to Man Utd on a short-term deal to help them out during pre-season. He is splitting his time between their first team and their youth squad, but has quickly earned the admiration of Erik ten Hag.
Therefore, the latest from ESPN suggests that Evans could earn a permanent deal with Man Utd. He is available on a free transfer after his contract with Leicester City expired following their relegation from the Premier League.
Ten Hag has already given Evans one appearance since his return to Man Utd. The defender played in a friendly win against Lyon on Wednesday.
He may yet have an opportunity to embark on a second spell with Man Utd in a competitive environment. According to the report, Ten Hag is ‘open-minded’ about the prospect of integrating Evans into his senior squad for the 2023-24 season.
No decision has been made yet, but Evans has qualities that could be appreciated by the Man Utd manager. Obviously, at his age (35), he would be taking on a backup role rather than being expected to become a regular starter.
However, there is always the need for a club of Man Utd’s stature – especially when they will have four tournaments to compete in next season – to have suitable depth to fall back on.
Their current starting centre-backs are Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. The former’s fitness issues, though, could prompt Man Utd to invest in a new partner for Martinez if possible.
Further down the pecking order, there is still supposedly a place in Ten Hag’s plans for Harry Maguire, despite him recently being stripped of the captaincy.
Victor Lindelof is also someone Ten Hag can turn to when required. One depth option that has departed, though, is Axel Tuanzebe after his contract expired, which could open up a space for Evans to take.
Ten Hag banishes Bailly but leaves door open for Evans
Another defensive player who will not be at Ten Hag’s disposal is Eric Bailly.
Bailly spent the 2022-23 season out on loan at Marseille, but the move did not become permanent. As his contract enters its final year, he has been excluded from the Man Utd setup.
The report from ESPN has backed up recent information from other sources that Ten Hag has told Bailly he is ‘surplus to requirements’ after being omitted from their squad for the pre-season US tour.
Evans, in contrast, has made himself useful to Man Utd during the tour so far. And after only making 14 appearances for Leicester last season, he is the kind of player who shouldn’t have too much of a problem with occupying a backup role.
It remains to be seen what kind of other offers Evans might have on the table. He has been a Premier League player for the vast majority of his career and made 198 appearances in his previous spell with Man Utd before leaving for West Brom in 2015.