Evans: Man United saved me from collapse, almost retired!

Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans said he faced the possibility of ending his career last year due to a series of injuries before being rescued by his former club Manchester United. Veteran defender Jonny Evans returned to Manchester United in the summer, but the Northern Ireland international considered hanging up his boots for good last year. Jonny Evans has revealed he contemplated retirement before returning to Manchester United in the summer. The veteran defender, 35, was a free agent after his contract with Leicester City expired back in June. However, Evans was handed a career lifeline by Erik ten Hag, who allowed the Northern Ireland international to link up with United in pre-season. Evans subsequently won himself a one-year deal to rejoin his former club after impressing on their tour of the United States, but it could have been a completely different story for the center-half, who toyed with the idea of hanging up his boots after struggling with injuries last year. Speaking ahead of Northern Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifier against Slovenia on Tuesday, Evans admitted: “I went through a stage last year where I started thinking maybe it is coming to an end. 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.” A troublesome calf injury restricted Evans to just four league appearances after playing in Leicester's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth last October. However, before those struggles - which sidelined him until May - he managed to make a pretty big impression on Ten Hag.