Jonathan Grant Jonny Evans

Jonathan Grant "Jonny" Evans (born 2 January 1988) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Manchester United and Northern Ireland. Evans was born in Belfast and started his career at Greenisland FC, where he was spotted by Manchester United scouts. He progressed through Manchester United's football Academy to play in several foreign tours in the summer of 2006. He then went on loan to Royal Antwerp and had two spells with Sunderland. He made his Manchester United first team debut in the 2007–08 League Cup, becoming a regular first-team squad member the following season. While playing for United, he has been their only Northern Irish first team playe

Career

Evans was scouted while playing for Greenisland FC, the same club that his brother, Corry, and Craig Cathcart played for before moving to Manchester United. At the age of nine, he was invited to attend the Manchester United Centre of Excellence in Belfast, before being invited for a trial in Manchester a year later. Rule changes within The Football Association at the time meant that clubs were limited to players who lived within an hour and a half of the club, so Evans' opportunities were limited. However, the Evans family soon relocated to Manchester, allowing Jonny to train with Manchester United full-time. Evans progressed through Manchester United's Academy, featuring in two of the club's three games during the 2006 summer tour of South Africa, as well as domestic friendlies against Celtic and Preston North End. Evans also made a surprise appearance in the Amsterdam Tournament against Ajax. Evans spent the first half of the 2006–07 season on loan at Manchester United's Belgian feeder club Royal Antwerp, alongside fellow youngsters Darron Gibson, Danny Simpson and Fraizer Campbell.

Sunderland Loans

In December 2006, Evans agreed to join Sunderland on loan until the end of the 2006–07 season, with Manchester United and Antwerp team-mate Danny Simpson joining on a similar deal in the January transfer window. The pair helped Sunderland clinch the Football League Championship title, with Evans winning the club's "Youth Player of the Year" award at the end of the season. Although manager Roy Keane was hopeful of re-signing Evans on loan following promotion to the Premier League, it was confirmed in June 2007 that Evans would be staying at Manchester United to push for a place in the first team.

On 4 January 2008, Evans rejoined Sunderland on loan for the second time, and was immediately drafted into the first team squad. Evans played the 90 minutes in his first game, losing 3–0 to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup. Evans was criticised for granting Wigan the second goal of the game, for which he lost the ball on the edge of his own box, resulting in a deflected own goal by Paul McShane.His half-season with Sunderland was generally successful, however, and the team avoided relegation.

Manchester United

Evans made his Manchester United debut on 26 September 2007 against Coventry City in the Football League Cup. Unfortunately, his debut ended in a 2–0 defeat. He then appeared as a late substitute for Gerard Piqué in a UEFA Champions League match at home to Dynamo Kyiv on 7 November 2007 to secure Manchester United's qualification to the knockout stage of the competition. He subsequently made his first Champions League start on 12 December 2007 against Roma.

Evans made his league debut for United against Chelsea on 21 September 2008, filling in for Nemanja Vidić who was unavailable due to suspension. The game ended 1–1. In December 2008, Evans made two substitute appearances for Manchester United at the FIFA Club World Cup, including one in the final after Nemanja Vidić was sent off shortly after half time. Evans continued to deputise throughout the rest of the season, appearing in a number of league games and in the League Cup final.

At the beginning of the 2010–11 football season, Evans became a regular fixture in the United team, partnering Nemanja Vidić in the centre of defence in the absence of the injured Rio Ferdinand. On 19 March 2011, Evans injured Bolton Wanderers and USA international Stuart Holden with a tackle which left Holden out for six months. Evans was given a straight red card however, Manchester United went on to win the game 1–0 with a Dimitar Berbatov goal.Before the start of the 2011-12 season, Evans was handed the No. 6 shirt after Wes Brown's departure to Sunderland AFC. Evans wore the new shirt number for the first time when coming on as a second half subsititute in the opening league game at West Bromwich Albion on 14 August 2011. On 23 October 2011, Evans was sent off against Manchester City at Old Trafford with United losing 1-0 at the time. The game eventually finished in a 6-1 defeat. Evans made his 100th appearance for Manchester United on the 30 November 2011 in a shock 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup. After Nemanja Vidic was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Evans stepped into central defence to partner Rio Ferdinand, starting in a 4-1 home win against Wolves. Evans has never scored for Manchester United but came close to ending his duck on 18 December 2011 in a Premier League match against Queens Park Rangers when he twice headed against the woodwork in a 2-0 win.

International

Despite having not yet made his senior debut for Manchester United, Evans was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the first time in September 2006, making his debut in the memorable 3–2 victory over Spain. Evans has since retained his place in the squad.