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Manchester United is ready to hand Jonny Evans a new contract after signing him up for a short deal during the pre-season tour. The defender was a free agent after his contract expired at Leicester City in June, but was signed up by Erik ten Hag immediately after his release from the King Power Stadium. Evans has been training with the team and has also featured in the pre-season games.
According to the reports from the Telegraph, Manchester United will hand a one-year contract to Evans. The Northern Irish footballer was considered a short-term replacement for Harry Maguire, considering the English defender was destined to leave the club. With Maguire staying at Old Trafford until the January window, United are prepared to keep Evans and invest the remainder of their transfer funds on a potential deal for Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina.
Ten Hag doesn't fancy Maguire at all and has been extremely ruthless with the former Hull City man since his appointment as Manchester United manager. The Dutchman removed Maguire from being the club's first-choice defender last season and also stripped him of the club's captaincy at the beginning of this season. He was destined to join West Ham this season but pulled the plug on the move as he wanted Manchester United to pay the remainder of his contract.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are the first-choice defenders for Ten Hag this season. However, he needs a healthy backup for both, which wasn't the case last season. As Victor Lindelof stays for one more season, Evans could prove to be a decent backup. The 35-year-old can appear in the minor knockout competitions, such as the League Cup and FA Cup, to give Manchester United a boost.