Jonny Evans has named Manchester United teammate Rasmus Hojlund as the player who has impressed him the most since returning to Old Trafford.
Evans came back to United, eight years after an extremely successful spell at the club.
He left for West Bromwich Albion under Dutch boss Louis van Gaal in 2015. He went on to join Leicester City where he cemented his status as one of the Premier League’s most reliable and capable defenders.
Leicester’s relegation saw him temporarily train with the Red Devils to keep his fitness levels up. He impressed and a decision was made by Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff to keep the North Ireland international for the 2023/24 campaign.
He has made eight appearances across all competitions for United this term.
Currently, Evans is recovering from a thigh injury set to keep him sidelined for a number of weeks.
He spoke to club media and answered multiple questions from supporters all around the world. One fan asked Evans who has gained his admiration the most since coming back.
The veteran defender said, “I’d probably say [Rasmus] Hojlund. I think, for such a young lad, to have his attributes and his personality to be able to come in and, you know, his work-rate too. I think the fans have really taken to him already and he’s going to become a top player.”
Hojlund has of course had a promising start to life at United since his sensational summer move from Atalanta.
The Dane has bagged five goals, all of which have come in the Champions League.
Evans was also asked who are the three toughest opponents he has faced in his extensive career. The 35-year-old revealed, “That’s a tricky one. I would probably say I’ve played against some good strikers over the years and Luis Suarez would have been up there when he was at Liverpool. In the Brendan Rodgers team when they had him and [Daniel] Sturridge up front as well, they were very dangerous. [Didier] Drogba. And I’d probably have to put [Sergio] Aguero up there too.”
He spoke at length about one of the best attributes that characterise his game, his long-ball accuracy and technical ability.
Evans pointed out, “It’s probably something I probably did have to work on. I probably would say my longer passing was something that I was quite aware that I wanted to practise on quite a lot. And, you know, throughout the years, I’ve tried to work on that, with both feet.”
“Like I said earlier, I think for a lot of centre-backs now and you’ve got be able to play with both feet with different ranges of passing. Yeah, long-range patterns are something that I’d say I worked on a lot. So when something like that comes off for an assist, for a goal, you do think oh, all that hard work has paid off.”
On who is the greatest football of all time, Evans pinpointed United icon George Best, who he labelled as “a genius.”
Evans delved into what life was like while coming through the ranks at United.
He divulged that while there was always some pressure to succeed and break through at such a great club, United always offered much-needed support.