Manchester United have signed Jonny Evans on a short-term deal and this could turn into a more substantial switch.
The move for Manchester United to sign Jonny Evans is a practical one in the short-term, with talented teenager Rhys Bennett set to miss the pre-season tour with an injury.
It’s also worth noting the move has come about because Evans has ‘impressed Erik ten Hag’ in pre-season training, BBC Sport report.
And it might just happen, that there is a vacancy in central defence opening up.
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Harry Maguire replacement
After his removal as club captain, Harry Maguire is being strongly tipped to leave Manchester United.
The conundrum created by Maguire’s potential exit, is that he needs to be replaced. Manchester United need a fourth choice centre-back.
The difficulty here is two-fold. Being fourth choice behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof is not immediately tempting to top players, and then even up and coming prospects will cost big money.
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Axel Disasi and Jean-Clair Todibo are options, and yet they will each cost around £30-45 million, the price Manchester United are expected to receive for Maguire.
This negates one of the advantages of selling Maguire, which is to raise funds along with moving on an unwanted player.
Signing Jonny Evans on a one-year deal would fill the squad gap created by Maguire’s departure. The club would probably prefer to target a young defender as a priority next summer instead.
Helps sign attacking stars
Manchester United’s priority this summer is now to sign a striker. Possibly two, considering Anthony Martial cannot be relied upon.
Then there is a desire to sign an additional midfielder, with Sofyan Amrabat touted as cover for Casemiro.
Funds from Maguire’s sale can be put towards these targets, and shouldn’t have to be spent on a centre-back. Landing Evans on a short-term deal for a season would allow United to focus on signing a striker and midfielder.
Homegrown player
An advantage to signing Jonny Evans would be that he would qualify as a homegrown player, having come through Manchester United’s youth system.
With question marks over the futures of Anthony Elanga, Scott McTominay and Tom Heaton, Manchester United might well want to add another to the squad.
Evans must impress Ten Hag first, but it appears he has made a good start. Signing a fourth choice defender is like adding a back-up goalkeeper, it’s not the most attractive squad role, however, a player at Evans’ stage of his career, would clearly jump at the chance.