Erik ten Hag ‘ready’ to use Jonny Evans at left-back as Manchester United suffer three injuries

Erik ten Hag is reportedly considering using Jonny Evans as an emergency left-back as Manchester United suffer three injuries at full-back.

Despite Manchester United signing three new defenders in the summer, Erik ten Hag‘s team continue to suffer from an injury crisis in the department.

So far this season, neither left-back has played with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both out of action, while Leny Yoro is yet to make his debut after signing in the summer due to a foot injury sustained in pre-season.

Read More: Three Manchester United players are in trouble during Erik ten Hag’s next five games

Centre-back Harry Maguire has been ruled out for a few weeks after having to come off at half-time against Aston Villa, while new signing Noussiar Mazraoui, who has been one of the star players at Old Trafford, has undergone minor corrective heart surgery over the international break.

This has left the Dutch manager with a huge headache. Mazraoui’s absence now means that three of the club’s four full-backs are unavailable, with Diogo Dalot, a right-back who has been playing as an auxiliary left-back this season, the only fit player in either position.

While Lisandro Martínez was trialled as a left-back earlier this season against Manchester City, the experiment did not work, and now, Ten Hag is considering another player.

This is according to The Mirror, which claims that the Dutchman is “ready” to field 36-year-old Jonny Evans in the position against Brentford.

Evans re-signed for the club in 2023 as a fifth-choice centre-half, but after multiple injuries to those ahead of him, Evans made 30 appearances across 2023/24 and has already made six so far this campaign.

He was recently awarded Player of the Match against Aston Villa and has been continuously praised for his performance despite his age. He has been touted as a potential left-back starter for the team’s upcoming match against Brentford.

Another option likely to be considered is youngster Toby Collyer, who impressed fans during the pre-season fixtures. Although naturally a midfielder, Collyer was deployed as a left-back during the club’s recent 7-0 win over League One side Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

There is also Harry Amass from the club’s Academy, who is a natural left-back, although previous reports have stated that the club feel it is too early for the 17-year-old to play first-team football.

Ten Hag is now under immense pressure following multiple poor results that have left the club 14th in the Premier League table.

Their last two league fixtures at Old Trafford have ended in 3-0 losses against Liverpool and Tottenham, and another defeat when Brentford visit may be a loss to many with his job currently on the line.

Although Shaw is expected to be back soon, the England international will likely not be able to play until after the Brentford fixture.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.