Jonny Evans takes up new role with Manchester United after ending playing career
Manchester United's Jonny Evans has been tasked with advancing the careers of the club's young players, following his retirement from professional football.
The 37 year old, who clinched the Champions League, three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups during his two spells at Old Trafford, has been named head of loans and pathways.
In this role, Evans will work closely with director of football Jason Wilcox and the academy director to facilitate the transition of emerging talent into the first team.
He told the club's official website: 'I want to officially announce my retirement from my playing career, not with sadness, but with pride, gratitude and excitement for the next chapter ahead.
'I'll be forever indebted to the managers, coaches, staff and, of course, my team-mates, that I have had the privilege of working alongside throughout my 20 years in professional football.
'My biggest and most heartfelt thanks must go to the fans who have supported me during every step of the journey. It's been an honour to be on the pitch and feel your passion home and away; I will be eternally grateful for every ounce of support.
'I am looking forward to working with the next generation of talented players to support them to reach their potential. Having had experience of loans myself, I know the crucial role that they can play within a player's development.
'I am excited to help further develop the pathway to our first team and continue the legacy of young players thriving at Manchester United.'
Evans, who won 107 caps for Northern Ireland and was awarded an MBE for his services to football in 2023, emerged from United's academy to make 241 senior appearances for the club.
He also had stints at West Brom and Leicester, with whom he tasted FA Cup success for the second time in 2021, and significantly had two loan spells at Sunderland under former Red Devils skipper Roy Keane early in a career which amounted to 536 games.
His playing days effectively came to an end as last season drew to a close and, while he is close to completing his UEFA A licence, he insisted earlier this summer that he was in no rush to make a decision over his future.
However now his contract at Old Trafford has formally expired, he is ready to launch the latest phase of his illustrious career.
Welcoming Evans' appointment, Wilcox said: 'Having just finished his exceptional playing career, Jonny is the perfect role model for our young players.
'Jonny's knowledge of what it takes to succeed at Manchester United will be of great benefit to each of them as we continue to develop world-class talent capable of performing in our first team.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
36 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Irish bookmaker to become West Ham shirt sponsor in £13m deal
Irish bookmaker BoyleSports is due to be unveiled as the new shirt sponsor for West Ham football club on Tuesday, as it launches a big push into the UK market. The sponsorship deal, which cost up to £13m (€15.1m), coincides with a rebrand of BoyleSports, and with talk of the company investing £100m on opening 200 new shops in Britain. Rival bookmakers, such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, have been closing their shops there and focusing on the US and on online platforms. BoyleSports, the largest independently owned bookmaking brand in Ireland, will only have a year to activate their full West Ham sponsorship, because a ban on bookies putting their names on the front of shirts comes into effect next summer for Premier League clubs. At that point, the Irish company's name will switch to the shirt sleeves. Founded by John Boyle, the chain opened its first shop in Markethill, Co Armagh in 1982. The company now has a total of 390 outlets, with 70 of them in Britain. Vlad Kaltenieks, the Lativan law graduate who was appointed chief executive in December 2022, has said that the planned UK expansion will be funded by shareholders. Because of the exodus of other bookie chains, he believes the UK is an under-appreciated market. 'As a family-owned, independent business, we've built a loyal customer base in Ireland by focusing on trust, service and a seamless experience and now we're rolling that approach out even more widely across the UK,' he told the Sunday Times last weekend. Although he had a track record of building online platforms at other gambling companies before he joined BoyleSports, Mr Kaltenieks has previously described himself as a 'strong believer in retail'. BoyleSports has previously had sponsorship deals with other English football clubs, including partnerships with teams in the midlands and north-east of the country such as Newcastle, Sunderland and Birmingham. However, this will be the first time its name will appear on the shirt of a Premier League outfit. The culture of bookie shops in England is quite dingy The tie-up with West Ham has come as a surprise, as BoyleSports does not have a significant presence in the east of London. It was also thought that the company was pulling back from football. 'The culture of bookie shops in England is quite dingy, so BoyleSports is looking to improve the experience,' an industry source said. 'There's talk about having one 'super shop' in London, in the style of Nike or Apple, rather than a series of kiosks.' Two years ago, amid talk of a legal ban, Premier League clubs agreed voluntarily to take the names of bookies' firms off the front of shirts, and this takes effect at the end of the 2025/26 season. Were West Ham to be relegated from the Premier League next season, BoyleSports could seek to put their name on the front of the jersey again, as the voluntary ban does not extend to the Championship.
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Rookie manager Keith Andrews not expecting patience from Brentford hierarchy
New Brentford manager Keith Andrews says his lack of experience will not guarantee extra patience from the club hierarchy. The former Republic of Ireland international and assistant manager has been the club's set-piece coach since the start of last season and is understood to have impressed the hierarchy after interviewing for the role after Thomas Frank and his assistant Justin Cochrane departed for Tottenham in what will be his first managerial role. Frank ended his seven-year stint in west London to take charge of Tottenham following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou. Despite being dealt a tricky start to the next Premier League season, with Brentford set to play Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United within their first seven games, Andrews stressed that his lack of experience will not guarantee extra patience from the club hierarchy. Andrews said: "(I've been given) no assurances, I think the reality is that it's a football club that has been built in a certain way and we have ways to do things which aren't the norm. "The support Thomas had throughout his tenure was impeccable, the relations he built were very connected and aligned and I don't see that being any different." In addition to potentially losing captain Christian Norgaard to Arsenal, goalkeeper Mark Flekken has signed for Bayer Leverkusen and leading scorer Bryan Mbeumo has been the subject of several bids from Manchester United.
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Fluminense upset Inter Milan to reach Club World Cup quarter-finals
Brazilian side Fluminense stunned Champions League finalists Inter Milan by knocking them out of the Club World Cup with a 2-0 victory in Charlotte. The reign of new head coach Cristian Chivu, who took over following Simone Inzaghi's departure just days after that humbling loss to Paris St Germain a month ago, has not started well as they exited the tournament before the quarter-finals. Goals from German Cano, after just three minutes, and Hercules in the third added minute at the end of the game sealed the Serie A side's fate. Fluminense are likely to face Manchester City, who play Al Hilal later in the day, in the quarter-finals.
