Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has retired from football, becoming the club’s third major departure of the summer.
Evans played for the last time in United red on Friday as part of the club’s post-season tour of Asia with Ruben Amorim’s side coming from behind to beat the Hong Kong national team.
United journalist Andy Miten confirmed the 37-year-old is now set to hang up his boots rather than find another club.
The former Northern Ireland international has been a dedicated servant across two spells at Old Trafford.
The centre-half broke into the first-team under Sir Alex Ferguson in the 2007-08 season, alongside Gerard Pique. With Pique returning to Barcelona, Evans took on the role as chief understudy to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, filling in for both men and enjoying a breakout campaign in 2010-11 while Ferdinand was out injured.
Highly-regarded by Ferguson, Evans won three Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Champions League with United – having also won the Championship under Roy Keane while on loan at Sunderland.
But after the Scot’s departure in 2013, Evans would soon follow. Deemed surplus to requirements by Louis van Gaal who also sold another academy graduate in Danny Welbeck, Evans joined West Brom in 2015, spending three seasons at the Hawthorns before joining Leicester City in 2018.
After being released by the Foxes in the summer of 2023, Evans returned to United to train with the club over the summer but was quickly offered a short-term deal. Various injury problems across the United backline have seen him earn plenty of game time, starting in the FA Cup final last year against Manchester City to lift the trophy for the first time.
‘He has been a great professional. Whenever he has been fit, he has trained well with very high standards,’ Amorim said of Evans.
‘He has also proven on the pitch that he is a very good player. The level that he has in training, you can see the standards he had in his prime and why they won so many titles. When he was fit to train the level was really high. I also want Evans to help the young kids beside him.’
Evans made 241 appearances during his two spells with United, scoring eight goals and registering seven assists.
Evans joins two other stars in leaving Man Utd
He is the third high profile departure at Old Trafford with Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof also on their way. Both players have reached the end of their respective contracts.
Eriksen, who scored a penalty on his final appearance at Old Trafford, wrote an emotional farewell message on Friday which read: ‘A huge thank you to all the fans who supported me through the last three ears as a Manchester United player.
‘Thank you to all the kind and hardworking people at the club who has made me and my family feel so welcomed since day one. And a big thank you to my teammates, it’s been a pleasure sharing the changing room and pitch together.
‘It’s been an amazing time and I’ve made some incredible memories that I will keep forever.’
