Popular former West Brom defender calls time on trophy-laden career
Former Albion defender Jonny Evans has called time on his distinguished playing career.
The 37-year-old defender's career spanned almost 20 years, most of which was spent with his boyhood club Manchester United, with whom across two spells he won all major trophies available.
Evans made 96 appearances for the Baggies and netted five times between 2015 and 2018.
Belfast-born Evans moved to Manchester as a youngster and pushed through to the first-team reckoning from the summer of 2006, where he featured in a tour of South Africa, before being sent on loan to Antwerp in Belgium.
He also enjoyed two successful loans at Sunderland and made his United debut under Sir Alex Ferguson in September 2007.
The central defender remained part of the squad at Old Trafford until his departure for the Black Country in 2015. During his time at United he was a three-time Premier League winner, in 2009, 2011 and 2013. He was also a Champions League winner with the Red Devils in 2008 and claimed two successive League Cup winners' medals in 2009 and 2010.
Evans, who was 27 at the time, fell out of favour under Louis van Gaal before Tony Pulis, who had only been at Albion six months, brought Evans to The Hawthorns for a reported £6million, with potential add-ons rising to £8m.
Pulis said of the defender's capture in August 2015: "This is a great signing for the club.
"Jonny brings a lot of experience and will be a big player for us - he's a player I've been watching for some time and we are delighted to have him."
He was a regular across his three seasons at the club, with finishes of 14th and 10th before the final campaign ended in relegation via a rock-bottom finish in a season in which Pulis and his successor Alan Pardew were dismissed.
Evans, who was awarded players' player of the season in 2016, was appointed club captain in 2017 after his former United team-mate Darren Fletcher departed for Stoke.
The defender's final season was marred not only by relegation, but also the infamous Taxi Gate affair that saw the Baggies become front-page news in February 2018.
Evans was one of four players, alongside experienced contingent Jake Livermore, Gareth Barry and Boaz Myhill, accused of stealing a taxi in Barcelona to return to their hotel. The very public case against the quartet was shelved, but did little for the club's PR.
He remained a regular in the side until departing following relegation and, despite an abject 2017/18 for the club, many supporters of a particular generation regard Evans as one of the finest defenders they have seen in blue and white stripes.
Leicester triggered a £3.5m relegation release clause to take him to the King Power Stadium. Evans won the FA Cup with the Foxes in the 2020/21 campaign, a competition that had previously eluded him.
Evans, who was awarded an MBE in 2023 for services to football in Northern Ireland, then returned to Old Trafford in the twilight of his career on a short-term deal.
He clocked up his 200th Red Devils appearance the second time around and also became a two-time FA Cup winner, turning out for Erik ten Hag's side as they saw off rivals Manchester City at Wembley last year.
He did not feature in the recent Europa League final defeat but bid his United farewell in a friendly in Hong Kong last week.
Evans's Northern Ireland career spanned 18 years and 107 caps between 2006 until retirement last year. He featured in the European Championship run to the last 16 in 2016.
