Ten Hag hails his Jonny be good
ERIK TEN HAG will recommend Jonny Evans is given a new one-year deal at Manchester United.
And that decision is sure to test whether the Red Devils boss really does have the support of the club’s soon-to-be biggest individual stakeholder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ten Hag claimed before yesterday’s trip to Nottingham Forest that Ratcliffe and his company INEOS Group are keen to work with him – and the feeling is mutual.
A bold assertion, which will come under increasing scrutiny over the next couple of months, especially when sorting Evans’ United future beyond this season.
Last summer the Northern Ireland skipper, with 106 caps, was re-signed by United on a free, initially as temporary cover for a pre-season defensive injury crisis.
But after impressing Ten Hag, Evans, 35, who had left United in 2015, was given a deal until next July.
And it now seems his good form on the pitch – allied to his stabilising influence and experience within a supposedly fractured dressing room – has convinced Dutch coach Ten Hag he is worth keeping for another 12 months.
What Ratcliffe, whose £1.5billion purchase of a 25 per cent share of the club is awaiting the green light from the Premier League, and his INEOS advisors will make of the request remains to be seen.
Certainly, a seal of approval for extending Evans’ second spell at the club would be a boost to Ten Hag’s position.
INEOS is assuming total control of the club’s football operations, with former Sky cycling chief Sir David Brailsford tasked with heading an extensive review of the current playing personnel.