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We need to talk about Evans
Defending Jonny Evans is not a particularly fashionable pursuit. However, very quietly and with a growing assurance, Evans has been United’s most consistently impressive defender this season. Formerly an Old Trafford scapegoat, Evans belatedly appears to be fulfilling the glorious potential so obvious when he strolled through his United Premier League debut against a potent Chelsea attack at Stamford Bridge in September 2008.
After his promising early performances, Evans regressed at such an alarming rate during 2009/10 and 2010/11 that his Old Trafford career was almost consigned to ignominy. Asked to deputise regularly for the increasingly brittle Rio Ferdinand, Evans appeared so woefully lacking in the required capability that he was written off by many, and with total justification.
Unfortunately, Evans’ greatest fault at this point was simply not being Gerard Piqué. Sir Alex Ferguson’s confounding decision to allow Piqué to rejoin Barcelona must sit atop any list of his greatest personnel blunders. Piqué is a once-in-a-generation buccaneering, pirouetting talent and has firmly established himself in the Barcelona and Spanish national teams, with a legitimate claim to being the best central defender in the world. Indeed, there is a suspicion that by the time his career has concluded, the swashbuckling Catalan may rank alongside immortals like Franz Beckenbauer and Franco Baresi.
However, in recent months, following a catastrophic red card against Manchester City in the derby, Jonny Evans has noticeably improved. Winning the ball with authority, positioning himself immaculately and always looking to carry the ball out of defence, the signs currently point towards Evans establishing himself as an Old Trafford stalwart.
Evans’ main weakness has always been his lack of strength and a propensity to be bullied by muscular, hammer-throwing centre-forwards of the Kevin Davies ilk. However, a commanding performance against Andy Carroll at Anfield in the FA Cup was proof of added upper-body strength and increased awareness of how best to combat hulking forwards. Combined with his nullifying of the electric Luis Suárez at Old Trafford on Saturday, Evans is currently displaying the attributes of a complete central defender.
Despite the occasional blunder this season – letting Mario Balotelli escape goalside and his resultant red card against Man City the most high profile – such catastrophes, once an unfortunate but integral part of Evans’ game, are much more infrequent now. Indeed there is no longer the sense when watching United that Evans is a liability, ready to present the opposition with a goalscoring chance at any minute. Gaining that inherent and absolute trust of the supporters is a much more important rite of passage in becoming a proper player than any statistic.
Evans’ journey from scapegoat to defensive lynchpin is an encouraging story; and as with Darren Fletcher previously, an important reminder not to dismiss certain players too early. As United author Daniel Harris noted in On The Road, Evans always understood the importance of expressing himself on the pitch; and as his confidence escalates with each consecutive solid performance, it would be pleasant to witness a continued blossoming into the cultured, composed centre-half that Ferguson envisaged when he let Piqué depart in 2008.
Posted by Man Utd fan Alistair Walker
Follow Alistair on Twitter @AliWalker24
Reproduced from the Fanzone section of the Life’s A Pitch website. An area where football fans and budding writers share their thoughts. Want to get involved? Contact fanzone@zonecontent.com for more details.
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