Jonny Evans enjoying new lease of life after fearing career could be over

Jonny Evans is back at Manchester United and starting games under Erik ten Hag, but the Northern Ireland defender thought his career might have been coming to an end last season.

Evans, 35, made a surprise return to his boyhood club in the summer after his contract with relegated Leicester ended, initially on a short-term deal that allowed him to play during their pre-season campaign before he signed a one-year contract.

It came after an injury-ravaged campaign with the Foxes in which Evans was limited to just 14 club appearances, struggling to get over a persistent calf problem that left him wondering if his time was up.

Instead, he has started two of United’s last three Premier League matches, helping earn wins in both.

“I went through a stage last year where I started thinking maybe it is coming to an end,” Evans said as he prepared to captain Northern Ireland in Tuesday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Slovenia.

“There’s no doubt I did have those thoughts. At the time I couldn’t get over injuries and every time I came back I was breaking down.

“I had lots of people telling me there’s no way you’re close to finishing, but you have to prove that to yourself and I feel like I’ve been able to do that.

“Every time you complete a match you think, ‘There’s another one, I can do that’, and sometimes you just have to confirm that to yourself. I’ve been pleased I’ve been able to go through that process and I feel in a good place.”

Northern Ireland will need Evans on Tuesday as they prepare to face Slovenia’s potent attack with an injury concern hanging over Daniel Ballard.

The Sunderland defender started Saturday’s 3-0 win over San Marino alongside Evans but sat out training on Monday due to tightness in his thigh, handing Michael O’Neill a potentially significant headache given Paddy McNair is suspended after his late booking at the weekend.

“He’d be a big loss,” O’Neill said of Ballard. “Obviously it presents an opportunity for somebody else.

“Paddy’s suspension is a blow as well given the referee booked him 10 seconds before he blew the final whistle. It was something we didn’t need. If the situation arises I think we’ve got good enough cover in the squad and it gives someone else the opportunity.”

Linfield’s Daniel Finlayson made up the numbers in training on Monday, but O’Neill may yet call in cover from the under-21 squad.

Northern Ireland enjoyed a morale-boosting win at the weekend but know beating minnows San Marino is just a small step given the problems that have doomed this qualifying campaign, and Slovenia will represent a far bigger challenge.

Last month’s 4-2 defeat in Ljubljana stood out in a campaign where Northern Ireland have been on the wrong end of four 1-0 losses.

While those were tight games in which O’Neill’s side always had a chance of taking something, Slovenia scored early and put the game beyond Northern Ireland.

O’Neill partly attributed that to a change in defensive system which had been dictated to some degree by the players he had available to him at different stages in the campaign, but he knows they will need to do a better job of marshalling forwards Benjamin Sesko and Andraz Sporar at Windsor Park.

“We didn’t defend well enough (and) we gave them a dream start with the goal we gave up early on,” he said.

“But I think the reaction in the game was very good and we created a number of chances and felt aggrieved we didn’t score more than the two we did.

“They have some very good footballers and they were good on the night. Tomorrow hopefully we’ll see a team that is better equipped to deal with this sort of game.”