Evans Warns Reds Of Stiff Test

Jonny Evans expects Sunday's clash with Southampton to be just as difficult as the corresponding fixture at St Mary's in December.

The Reds secured a 2-1 win on the South Coast thanks to a double by Robin van Persie but the Saints felt aggrieved not to pick up any points on the back of an impressive performance. Centre-back Evans believes Graziano Pelle, who scored the home team's goal that night, will be a threat but reckons Southampton's overall team organisation is their greatest strength.

"I came on after about 20 minutes and, with the pace of the game, how they pressed us and the quality they had on the pitch, I thought they were excellent that night," Evans told MUTV.

"They didn’t give us a minute and that does make it hard to play and hard to get into rhythm. I think maybe they did fade in the second half and allowed us to get a foothold in the game. [I don't know] Whether they can keep that pressing up throughout the whole season, because it takes a lot out of you, but, from that game, I thought they were a very good team and very well organised.

"From the time that I had on the bench, I was watching what Ronald Koeman was instructing his players to do and you can tell that he’s very tactical and thinks about the game a lot. I think that’ll take them a long way."

Pelle is the leading Saints scorer with 11 goals and will be out to add to his tally at Old Trafford at the weekend as Koeman's men strive to overtake United in the table. The Saints currently lie a point adrift of Louis van Gaal's charges in fourth spot following an excellent win against Arsenal.

When asked if the Italian is a physical presence, Evans replied: "You get that a lot in the Premier League and I think he suits it well. Apart from being big and strong, he’s got that danger from balls into the box and crosses because he can hold you off and make space for himself.

"He has got some nice touches, I think they use him a lot as a focal point and have runners going off him. Especially the two wide men coming inside and running behind him, they use him a lot for link-up play and he’s got a good touch."