One of Erik ten Hag’s signings at Manchester United has been dubbed one of the club’s best transfers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, despite only starting 23 times since his 2023 move.
Manchester United have been under the ownership of the Glazer family for around 20 years, with the club having signed 90 players in that period.
While many of the club’s transfers during the Glazers’ early years were successful, this was more down to the recruitment of David Gill, Sir Alex Ferguson, and the others in charge of the football at Old Trafford, while the recruitment since the legendary manager has retired has left a lot to be desired.
Big-money fees spent on signing players such as Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Jadon Sancho, and Antony in the last decade have the club sitting in financial turmoil, while there have been questions surrounding the sales of others thriving elsewhere.
There has also been a recurring issue of United deciding against signing players who have since become world-beaters elsewhere, with Erling Haaland topping that list in the last few seasons.
Evans tipped as one of United’s best defensive signings
Jonny Evans initially graduated from United’s Academy to join the first team in 2006. He remained on their books until his move to West Brom in 2015, although he also had stints on loan at Royal Antwerp and Sunderland.
However, eight years after he left Old Trafford, Evans returned to Carrington after being released by Leicester City to train while he found a new club, before Erik ten Hag chose to offer the player a one-year contract in 2023, which was then extended by a further season last summer.
The Athletic recently published a deep dive into all of United’s signings since the Glazer family took control of the club, and assessed the relative success of each purchase, with Evans coming out with a glowing review.
During his second spell at the club, Evans has made 42 appearances thus far, starting 23 times, including 15 in the Premier League last season amid United’s injury issues in defence under Ten Hag, which is a fantastic return considering he was signed for free.
Most notably, he produced a spectacular assist for Bruno Fernandes against Burnley, pulling off a stunning long-range pass to find the Portuguese star in the box at Turf Moor, who then finished the effort off with a volley in his usual fantastic style.
Carl Anka, Manchester United correspondent for The Athletic, dubbed Evans a player with “a convincing argument to be made that he has been one of the better centre-back signings” since Sir Alex departed the club in 2013.
Evans will need to be replaced this summer
This term, Evans has made just 12 appearances, including six starts, and played 623 minutes. He missed around four months through an unspecified injury, and Rúben Amorim’s squad has moved on from needing him on the field.
However, with the 37-year-old set to leave this summer once his contract expires and possibly hang up his boots for good as he embarks on a coaching career, there is little doubt that his leadership and experience in the dressing room must be replaced.
United are looking to bring in many young players this summer, with rumours being that Liam Delap will be becoming Amorim’s first-choice striker next season if the 22-year-old joins the club, but United must be wary of getting rid of too many experienced players to help guide the young heads.
Rasmus Højlund is one young star who has struggled from a lack of guidance since Ruud van Nistelrooy departed as a coach amid Amorim’s arrival.
With others like Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelöf also set to leave, United may want to dip into the market to find further players with experience that Amorim’s young squad can lean on.
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