Erik ten Hag explains Jonny Evans' return to Man Utd

Erik ten Hag has hailed Jonny Evans as a 'leader' after the veteran defender made his second debut for Manchester United.

The 35-year-old penned a short-term deal with the Red Devils this week after training with the team over the summer, signing with a view of securing a longer-term deal elsewhere before the start of the 2023/24 season.

Evans had spent over 11 years on the books at Man Utd previously, playing 198 games for the club between 2004 and 2015. He made his return on Wednesday afternoon when he came off of the bench during their 1-0 win over Olympique Lyonnais.

Speaking after that game, Ten Hag was full of praise for Evans, commenting: You can see he’s a really fine character, he’s a leader, he understands football. It was nice to see him playing and he really contributes to the performance of the team in the second half."

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The Man Utd manager also gave an insight into why the centre-back was given a short-term deal by the club, telling MUTV: "I know him for a long time, so I know his place was here, in Manchester.

"He came to train with us, to work on his fitness, and when I said, 'Yeah'. Not all the players are in - internationals are out, still having their break, so I thought it was a good idea to help each other out. Jonny can work on his fitness and he can help us out.

"The level, we know he is a really experienced player but also a very good person, a big personality, and I think he has big authority as well. He will help the young players especially. It is a benefit for both sides."

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On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth and Graeme Bailey to discuss Brighton rejecting Chelsea's bid for Moises Caicedo, Man City closing in on Josko Gvardiol, Harry Maguire's uncertain Man Utd future and more!

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