Ipswich Failed With Evans Bid

Jonny Evans is bound to have a bright future in the game, according to his many admirers (myself included though my opinion matters very little). Ipswich boss Jim Magilton thinks Fergie rates the 18-year-old defender very highly and Magilton himself wanted to bring him to Ipswich on loan but it never happened.

I contacted Sir Alex during pre-season about getting Jonny on loan, but a deal with Antwerp was done,' he said. 'I've been in touch again to see if he may be available in January, but we're not getting him.'

'Sir Alex rates him highly,' he added. 'He thinks Jonny will be a top player and having seen him against Spain, Latvia and Denmark, I don't doubt that. I wanted to bring him to Ipswich. I think it would have been beneficial for everyone, but it's not to be.'

Evans has not played in a competitive game for United yet and he's currently on loan at Belgian side Antwerp. He made his international debut last month as Healy-inspired Northern Ireland beat Spain 3-2 and excelled in the game.

With Evans on the rise and Gerard Pique's proven abilities, United have a wealth of talented defenders for the next few years. Brown, Bardsley and O'Shea are all capable of playing at right-back after Gary's retirement, Vidic and Ferdinand seem to be a great partnership, Patrice Evra gets better and better and only injuries prevent Heinze from showing why he was elected United's best player in the 2004/05 season. So there's no reason to worry about this department.

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