Evans Aims To Express

Jonny Evans wants to come out of his shell a bit more this season and express his burgeoning ability on the pitch.

The 21-year-old Northern Ireland defender never looked out of place whenever he was called upon last season to step in for injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

He's done the same again so far this season, but it's his aim now to step up his performances another level.

"I'm still learning and improving all the time," he told United Review.

"I feel like there's a lot more to come from me. I had a decent season last season, but I was playing within myself a bit.

"I've got to learn how to express myself more on the pitch. Last year, because it was my first real season in the team, I just stuck to the defending side of things. This year I need to try and get on the ball and express myself.

"I was making a conscious decision within myself to play it safe and make sure I wasn't at fault for any goals, and just generally to concentrate on defending above all else.

"I'm not saying I'll be trying to dribble all the way through the opposition from now on, just that I need to be a bit more outgoing on the pitch and more commanding."

Evans says he's also concentrated on balancing football training with strength and conditioning work in the gym. It's all part of his overall improvement as a player, which has led Sir Alex Ferguson to admit he finds it difficult to leave the Belfast-born centre-back out of the team sometimes.

But Jonny isn't letting that praise go to his head. "I think the gaffer gives the players little boosts sometimes. He's going to have to leave me out at times during the season, and he can say things that make you feel good while he's leaving you out.

"It's nice that he's saying those things, and if he's thinking that way then it shows that I'm doing something right. That's good, because Rio and Nemanja are unbelievable players."