Even though Manchester United appears to have completed most of its transfer business on Deadline Day, one move appears to still be in the works.

On Deadline Day, what more might Manchester United accomplish?
Erik ten Hag is thrilled to have added Sofyan Amrabat as his standout acquisition today. He will also be happy to have Sergio Reguilon and Altay Bayindir as backup custodian and left back, respectively.

But they have also conducted business elsewhere, extending Jonny Evans’s initial contract to a year in order to prolong his stay.

The news was verified by the Red Devils on social media.

With Leicester City dropping into the Championship, the Northern Irishman’s £100k-per-week contract was allowed to expire, ending his time there. This deal replaces that arrangement.

Jonny Evans is a talented guy.
A completely uninspired purchase considering his age and lack of chance to play, such a swoop. Despite Raphael Varane’s history of injuries, it makes very little sense for the Red Devils to bring him in.

Given his time at the club and the money they paid for him, it’s likely that Harry Maguire would always be favoured over Evans, even in the most dire injury situation—even if supporters still laugh about it.

This may render the swoop somewhat of a mistake, and even in the unlikely event that there is no charge, it is a move that has similarities to their 2019 swoop for Maguire. The England star has at least made an appearance, even though they did smash the global record for a defender when he made his £80 million move.

Due to the burden of an astronomical price tag, the 30-year-old was never able to fully live up to the expectations placed on him by such a sum. But when his dismal performances persisted, he nevertheless managed to temper expectations with each passing year, compounding the initial outlay.

Going so far as to claim he was among the worst Premier League signings ever, Darren Bent made the following statement on talkSPORT: “I’m probably being a bit harsh here, when I spoke about him being probably, value for money the worst signing in Premier League history.”

Despite making 175 appearances for the team, the former Sheffield United stud has not established himself as a player worthy of his contract; his concerning lack of speed has occasionally let him down. He was even called “painfully slow” by Richard Dunne about a year ago—a characteristic that Evans regrettably shares.

In fact, before the defender’s age began to decline, journalist Chris McKenna noted in 2013 that “Jonny Evans looked so slow there.”

Adding to this, it was reported during the 2021–2022 season that Maguire may have committed up to 16 errors that resulted in goals in a single campaign, which served to highlight his ongoing confidence issue at Old Trafford.

If Evans were to play instead—which is improbable anyhow—he would undoubtedly experience the same kinds of problems that Maguire has had all of his professional life. Expert Mark Goldbridge expressed his concerns over the first short-term agreement, saying, “I don’t see why we would keep Jonny Evans.”

“I watched him a few times last season, and he is washed,” he went on. Jonny Evans is done for the Premier League; there’s no way you can play him against most of the league anymore. It scares me that Erik ten Hag and Manchester United plan to keep Jonny Evans instead of purchasing a centre defender.”

This occurs after the 35-year-old’s disappointingly low-level performance for Leicester during their relegation-plagued campaign last season. Hailed as a “leader” nearly four years ago by writer Henry Winter, he is a far cry from that person.

It appears that Goldbridge’s worries are about to come true, since the Glazers’ ongoing thrifty living has left their Dutch manager again shortchanged in a crucial role.