Veteran Manchester United defender gives verdict on Erik ten Hag future following FA Cup win

Veteran Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has given his backing to manager Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils shocked rivals Manchester City with a 2-1 win in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley, with Evans coming off the bench for the final 17 minutes of the match.

Despite only signing as depth after initially training with Man Utd following his exit from Leicester City last summer, Saturday marked the 30th appearance of the season across all competitions for Evans.

Now 36, it remains unclear whether or not Evans will continue playing beyond this summer, whether that be for Man Utd or another club. However, one man he hopes does remain at Old Trafford is Ten Hag, whose future remains under intense scrutiny despite delivering two major trophies in two years at the helm.

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask everyone that,” Evans told Sky Sports when asked how the United squad would feel if Ten Hag left.

The 106-time Northern Ireland international added: “I think, on a personal level he’s been amazing for me. I can only thank him for that. I have a good relationship with him, so I hope he stays.

“Since I came back in the summer he’s had no problems putting me in and trusting in me.

“You want that from the manager, to show that trust and belief in you. He did that. Like I said, I’ve had 30 games now, so I’m buzzing.”

Evans: “I don’t know what comes next”

Saturday’s triumph marked Evans’ second FA Cup title in four seasons following his success with Leicester City in 2021. This one, however, will taste much sweeter with the Foxes’ 1-0 win over Chelsea in 2021 played out in front of just 20,000 spectators during COVID-19 restrictions. That’s not to mention the joy of winning a Manchester derby final with his boyhood club.

It remains to be seen whether this will be Evans’ swansong with the Red Devils. With celebrations ongoing, that’s a conversation for another time.

“The further on in your career you get, you cherish moments like this a lot more,” he said (via BBC Sport). “I enjoyed coming on, seeing out the game and obviously the celebrations afterwards.

“I don’t know what comes next. We’ll see what the club says over the next couple of weeks.”

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