- Evans signed by Manchester United
- Got minutes against Wrexham
- Foster backed defender for first-team role
WHAT HAPPENED? The 35-year-old was the only senior player to feature in the Premier League side's 3-1 defeat to Wrexham in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday. The defender was re-signed by the Red Devils on a short-term deal after he impressed manager Erik ten Hag in training sessions following his departure from Leicester City at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
Foster, who previously worked alongside Evans at Old Trafford, was hugely impressed by the defender's performance against Wrexham and believes he could "easily" fit into Ten Hag's plans for next season.
WHAT THEY SAID: "It’s such a huge gap, honestly, to bridge that gap from the U23s to the first team," Foster told The United Stand. "Nowadays, it’s not even possible. United have the whole word to choose from. If they’re struggling in a position, they can go out and spent £40m-£50m – it’s just the way it goes.
"For me, Jonny Evans was the guy today. I love him. He’s a Rolls Royce, honestly. For him to step on the pitch, he hasn’t played football for two, three or four months. He went out there tonight and was the most comfortable defender. He’s one of the best defenders I have ever played with, Jonny Evans, honestly. I know he would do a job, seriously. All our (Wrexham) lads were saying that he could slot into that (United) first-team easily. He’s exactly the type of defender you need. Someone who is happy receives the ball, take a touch, nice and calm and composed and lay it off."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: United manager Ten Hag has also put his weight behind Evans and claimed that the northern-Irishman boasts of a "big personality" who can have a big impact on the youngsters. The centre-back spent nine years at Old Trafford, making 198 appearances before leaving Old Trafford in 2015 to join West Bromwich Albion.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty Images
GettyWHAT NEXT? Evans will hope to get more opportunities in pre-season so that he can carve out a future at Manchester United once again under Ten Hag. The Red Devils will continue their tour of the U.S. with a clash against Real Madrid on Thursday, which will see the senior members of the squad restored to the starting XI.