onny Evans Coming Of Age

Jonny Evans has been one of United's most consistent performers in the past 12 months or so. He recently sat down with Inside United to discuss his progress...

You signed a new deal before Christmas. Do you see yourself as a one-club man?
I’d like to be. Obviously I’ve had my loan spells but I have come through the Academy here and now I’m in the first-team. When I was younger, clubs were asking me to go on trial from a young age and I never went on trial to another club. I just knew that Manchester United was the place I wanted to play football. So to play here throughout my career would be something I would look to do and I’d love to do it. But I can’t look too far ahead. I’m still only 25 so I’ll see where this takes me.

There have been a number of big wins this season, dramatic ones too. Which match has given you most satisfaction?
Obviously the City game was a great win. I’d come off injured and I was sitting on the bench and I just remember at the end hugging Tom Cleverley to death! I was trying not to jump around too much because I had an injury. The game I enjoyed the most was maybe the Southampton game. I didn't actually play, it was just being there. The way that game went, we didn’t actually play too well. I was sitting on the bench watching. When Robin missed the penalty I thought it wasn’t going to be our day. But the way the match unfolded in the last couple of minutes was brilliant. Being on the bench, it’s more like you’re a supporter. The match gets to you a lot more. When you’re playing you don’t get that emotional experience because you’re doing everything you can to help the team score. But when you’re watching from the sidelines there’s nothing you can do about it, so you’re sitting there experiencing all the emotions that a fan does. It was exciting to watch.

You’ve scored four goals this season. What’s the secret?
I think it’s just because I’m older, more experienced and more confident, so I just relax more. The first couple of years I was so desperate to score I was probably going up the other end of the pitch and not thinking about what I was actually doing. I was just thinking, ‘I need to score, I need to score’. Sometimes you’ve just got to have that bit of composure, not try too hard and get yourself in the right positions.

Which of your team-mates has impressed you most this season?
I actually think Rafael has done really well. He has shown real maturity. His brother has gone out on loan now and it’s probably given him a lot more responsibility. Because of the injuries, too, there hasn’t been much competition for him at right back so he has really stepped into the position and made it his own.

Is Rafael’s situation similar to what you experienced breaking into the team?
Rafael is a lot younger than me but he stepped into the first-team probably in the same season I did. We both made our breakthrough seasons in that same year. He probably played about 30 games that season, which is incredible for a young player. Even back then you knew he was going to be a fantastic player. He has been for a number of years. Some people have criticised his all-action style, but I think he has managed to find the right balance now and he’s become, I think, one of the best full-backs in the world.

What’s the relationship like between the defenders? Are you mates? Do you encourage each other in training and games?
Yeah, definitely. We always say, ‘well done’ if someone has a good game. I know that, at other clubs, you get people thinking that if another player plays in their position they want them to do badly. That’s life in a way - people don’t want someone else to come in and do their job better than them. But I’ve never really taken that point of view. I don’t think any of the lads in this team think, ‘When he comes into the team, I hope he makes a mistake today’. We’re all in it together, we’re Manchester United and we want to win trophies. If I’m not getting picked in the team and the player in that position makes mistakes, we’re not going to win leagues are we? We’re not going to win trophies. We’re all in it together and we need each other to be successful.

In five years’ time do you think you’ll appreciate even more having learned your trade alongside Ferdinand and Vidic?
When I first came into the first-team squad, the level that those two were playing at was unbelievable. The presence they have, the way they could defend, it was the very top. For younger players to try and emulate that was a big ask. It still is. But for me coming through the youth team looking at these two fantastic players, it was all about trying to get to that level - not necessarily as quick as possible but just to the best of my ability. I just tried to be as good as I can be really. That’s been the challenge for me. It’s not really been the challenge of getting into a normal first-team - it’s the challenge of trying to reach a standard set by Rio and Vida, two of the best centre-backs in the world. It was a big ask, but something that you have to try and achieve. It’s probably the biggest challenge of all.

Was that daunting?
I wouldn’t say daunting. I’ve never thought, ‘I want to be like them’. I've always wanted to be my own player. I wanted to be the type of player that I am. You can never truly mirror the way another player plays because everyone is different. If I tried to do that then I wouldn’t be the player I am. So I wouldn’t say daunting but I recognised that it’s a big challenge to come in and try take them out of the team. It’s all about having patience and being the best I could be. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself in that situation. You’ve got to go out and play your football and make sure you work hard to always keep improving.

You seem to take charge in defence, organising and instructing team-mates…
I’d like to think it’s always been a part of my game. It’s hard when you first come into the squad because I was never going to be able to do that. I was thinking to myself, ‘How can I tell these lads where they should be’? But then in a short period of time, you gain that respect from your team-mates and the confidence to say something that needs to be said. Communication is a massive part of being a defender. I think it makes your job so much easier if you can speak and tell someone to move five yards one way, or two yards the other way. Small things like that make a big difference to your own game and it helps your team-mates out too.