‘I Played with Gerard Pique in my First Man Utd Game and Amad Diallo in my Last’

The end of the football season marks a time of change for many in the Premier League.

While some will be confident of still playing for the same club come the start of the next campaign, others will be unsure of whether their future lay elsewhere, depending on what offers come in over the summer and how circumstances within their own club may change.

A separate portion of players, meanwhile, will know their tenures have come to an end, with the club not intending to renew their contracts. These players are released and become free agents, and depending on their age and injury problems, may even consider the prospect of retirement.

One player who could be confronted with that conundrum this summer is Jonny Evans. Aged 37, the Northern Ireland legend is a confirmed departure at Manchester United alongside Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof, with all three of their contracts expiring.

But this marks the end of Evans’ second spell at Old Trafford; initially he rose through United’s youth ranks before making his debut in 2007. He spent eight years as part of the Red Devils’ first team squad – albeit, never quite making himself a permanent member of the starting XI – before leaving for West Brom and subsequently Leicester City.

Evans returned to United in 2023 on a free transfer, adding an experienced head to a squad of players who were struggling to meet expectations. Accordingly, Evans’ United tenures have spanned multiple eras at the club, something perfectly illustrated by the drastic difference in the first and last Red Devils sides he featured in.

Jonny Evans’ Debut: United Lose 2-0 to Coventry City

Shock League Cup defeat for Red Devils

Sir Alex Ferguson never seemed to put a great deal of value on the domestic cup competitions. Sure, he wanted to win every trophy possible. But on the most part, the greatest manager of all time used them as an opportunity to give chances to young players.

That was the case in 2007, much to their detriment, when United welcomed Coventry City to Old Trafford. Despite eventually finishing 21st in the Championship that season, the Sky Blues pulled off a shock 2-0 win, dumping the Red Devils out of the competition in the third round.

An experimental side that day featured an incredibly young back four anchored by Evans and centre-back partner Gerard Pique. Although Pique struggled to break into the first team at United, he’s widely regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs of all time having enjoyed incredible success at Barcelona as a forward-thinking, playmaking centre-half.

Here’s a look at United’s line-up in full, which included some truly bizarre names.

Jonny Evans’ Final Game: United Beat Aston Villa 2-0

Amorim gave defender a runout on final day of the season

The last United side Evans was involved in was actually one of the Red Devils’ most recent. Ruben Amorim gave the centre-back a runout on the final day of the 2024/25 Premier League season, after young defender Ayden Heaven was taken off injured.

The result mattered little to United who were already consigned to their worst ever Premier League finish by some distance, although beating a Champions League-chasing Villa side was an impressive end to an otherwise dismal campaign.

Fortune favoured United on the day after Villa’s Emi Martinez was sent off and the visitors had a goal ruled out when Morgan Rogers was judged to have kicked the ball from Altay Bayindir’s hands – a decision Unai Emery’s side would ultimately launch an official complaint over.

Here’s a how Amorim set out his side in a 2-0 victory over the Villans.