Behind the scenes with Jonny Evans

Advertisement

Behind the scenes with Manchester United's Jonny Evans

By Thomas Kane
BBC NI Sport reporter

It is amazing to think about just how much Jonny Evans has already achieved as a footballer.

At 21, he has won the Carling Cup, the World Club Championship and the Premier League with Manchester United.

He has played almost 50 times for the Old Trafford side and has already been tipped as a future captain of club and country.

With Northern Ireland, he became a first team regular at the age of 18. He has played in different positions against some of the best players in the world, and never looked overawed or out of place.

But perhaps the most impressive thing about Jonny Evans, is his modesty and personality.

He does not act like a superstar, mainly because he does not see himself as one.

He has watched other United players make the breakthrough to the first team, yet never be heard of again. Jonny is determined that will not happen to him.

While making the Season Ticket programme, I spent time with him at training, at home, with his family in Manchester, and back in the Rathcoole estate near Belfast where he grew up.

During the filming, Jonny contradicted every stereotype that is portrayed about modern day footballers. He is not flash with his money, he says "because my parents always encouraged me not to be."

Defender Jonny Evans in action for Northern Ireland

How many footballers have straight As in their GCSEs? For Jonny and his family, it was important that the defender had a back-up plan and good qualifications in case professional football did not work out.

It is easy to see how Evans has managed to keep his feet on the ground when you meet his family.

The whole Evans clan moved over to Manchester when Jonny left home to join the United Academy permanently at the age of 15. He still spends a lot of time with them when he is not away playing.

His father Jackie played with Chelsea and Arsenal, but failed to make the first team. His mother Dawn "holds everything together", while his little sister, Katie is a recent convert to football and had a great time celebrating on the pitch with Jonny when United lifted the Premier League trophy last season.

Jonny's younger brother Corry captains the United reserves, and has already made his full Northern Ireland debut. When I asked United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer if Corry would make it at Old Trafford, the answer was simple. "Yes, definitely. I see him as a Claude Makelele-like player."

Jonny Evans is living the dream. He says he was obsessed with Manchester United when he was growing up.

Being a Liverpool fan, I might not agree with his choice of team, but the way in which he has remained unaffected by his success on the football field is a lesson to every young footballer who wants to make it to the top.

Season Ticket features Jonny Evans on BBC1 Northern Ireland on Wednesday, 2245 GMT