Manchester United defender Jonny Evans made a surprise return for the club last summer and has filled a useful role.
Manchester United signed Jonny Evans in the summer as a free agent, with the veteran becoming the club’s fifth centre-back option.
This is his second spell at the club after featuring under Sir Alex Ferguson, and at the start of the post-Fergie era, under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
It was under Louis van Gaal that Evans’ career came to an end, and the Northern Irishman has been reflecting on his his exit transpired.
Evans says he learned under Van Gaal
Evans left Manchester United in August 2015, after a year under the manager. He says he learned a lot working under the Dutchman.
Evans told United’s podcast: “I mean, I think when he came in I was like, I was excited to work with him.
“But I didn’t know too much about him. I knew he had a great reputation, but it was in European clubs. It was like a big cultural shock for everyone really. He changed the whole way of playing.
“[There was] a lot more tactical emphasis on the game. And I mean, obviously I did learn a lot going through that transition between three managers obviously in the space of three seasons.”
Evans reflects on exit
Evans explains that at the start of the 2015/16 season that he knew his career at the club was coming to an end.
He said: “I had a year left on my contract, but he called me in quite early on. It wasn’t before summer.
I think there might have been just to start a preseason actually, I’m not sure or before before we broke up.
“He just called me in, he said that I could leave if the right offer came if I got the right club, and I had a year left on the table.
“From the point he told me, I had a year left right on the table, and I was kind of ‘once a manager says that’…”
Evans reflected that instead of being devastated, he had a very different reaction.
He said: “I think by that point, with the way the two seasons before had gone, I didn’t want to leave, but I wasn’t afraid of leaving.
“I had no fear of leaving. I was almost probably on the other side of it. A little bit of excitement of like something, something different.”
Evans went to West Bromwich Albion, where he admitted having an even bigger culture shock playing under Tony Pulis, before signing with Leicester City and winning the FA Cup.
Now back at Manchester United, Evans is making the most of his second chance, which he did not expect to arrive.
The 36-year-old has played in 21 games for the club this season and has more to contribute too, with defensive injuries piling up.