In case you missed one of the more unexpected transfers this summer, former Manchester United defender Johnny Evans is now back at the club after eight years.
And while you might expect it to seem a bit unbelievable for some fans to wrap their heads around, it turns out even his kids are struggling to believe he was ever there to begin with too.
The now-restored Northern Ireland centre-half spent eight years playing for the first team before joining West Brom in 2015, but came up through the youth ranks at Man United from the age of nine, and made his first senior appearances in the 2006/07 seasons.
However, it would seem his children – while apparently aware that he spent some time there – maybe didn’t quite realise just how much of a long-serving player he was, how much he contributed to the club, and how much he won there.
Apparently, Johnny Evans’ kids are in just as much disbelief that he plays for United again.
Speaking to MUTV, following his somewhat surprising return to the club after the best part of a decade, Evans said that it’s a dream to be able to come back after such a long time, and for his kids to be able to see him play in Red.
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“I think they know I used to play for Man United, but I don’t think they believe me in that sense,” the 26-year-old joked in his first interview since re-signing for the club on a one-year deal until June 2024.
“It’s nice that they’re going to be able to watch me.
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“My eldest was actually born during my last season at the club [2014/15], so it’d be nice to be able to take them to Old Trafford.
“For the children to see their dad running out at Old Trafford would be something special for any child, so I’m really fortunate and lucky that I get to do that”.
Erik liked what he saw from Jonny Evans on Wednesday 💪#MUFC
Evans’ last game for the Red Devils at the end of his first spell was against Crystal Palace back in 2015, and his first game back was during this year’s pre-season tour against Lyon.
While Evans obviously won’t be expecting to play that regularly, and was clearly signed as a backup centre-back, with Raphael Varane now out of action and Victor Lindelof also a potential injury concern at the moment, his addition to the squad depth will no doubt be needed with United in all four top-flight competitions this year.
He’s also opened up on how the move has revitalised him, stating that seeing all the young players has “made [him] feel very young again”, and how it helped him get back into the mindset of “trying to come into this first team every day and impress and show the manager what you can do.”
It comes as there is growing concern that the Glazers will be sticking around after all. 😬https://t.co/DK2Kow292Y
Are you happy to see the long-time servant back at the club, Reds?
Elsewhere at Man United, they suffered their worst-ever share price drop after rumours that the Glazers might no longer be selling, compounded with multiple controversies over the past few months, saw more than half a billion wiped off the club’s value.
New Amazon Prime Video docuseries to show Pep Guardiola’s final seasons at Manchester City
Emily Sergeant
A new all-access docuseries featuring Pep Guardiola’s final few seasons at Manchester City is set to air this summer.
Coming exclusively to Prime Video in the UK and Ireland, the four-part documentary is set to take Manchester City fans and neutral viewers alike inside the club as the players and manager – who delivered an era of dominance -make way for a new generation.
Filmed over the past two seasons, this is the ultimate account of an emotional farewell that marks the end of an era in English football, and will offer unfiltered access to Guardiola, his squad, and the City boardroom.
After 10 trophy-filled years – which included six Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, three FA Cups, and five EFL Cups – Pep Guardiola called time on his tenure in Manchester last month, alongside fan favourite players Bernardo Silva and John Stones, as well as Kevin De Bruyne the season prior.
This new docuseries was there to follow them every step of the process.
Fans can follow City from a disappointing 2024/25 campaign right through to a domestic double the following season, charting the raw emotion of a squad in transition.
The series is directed by Academy and BAFTA award-winning filmmaker, Kevin Macdonald, alongside City Studios’ John De Caux, and is produced by Kevin Macdonald for Plan B/KM Films and Gavin Johnson and Ged Doherty for City Studios.
“This is the ultimate account of an emotional farewell that marks the end of an era in English football,” Amazon Prime Video said in a statement.
Joining Prime Video’s wide selection of sports programming, the series will be available to watch at no additional cost to Prime members this summer.
It’ll be ready to stream on 19 August.
Featured Image – Prime Video
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Here’s our petition for ‘Wonderwall’ to become England’s new football anthem
Danny Jones
All things considered, England have made a great start to the 2026 World Cup, pitching themselves as one of the great entertainers this tournament, and the scenes of the supporters and players alike serenading an entire stadium with ‘Wonderwall’ after the full-time whistle gave us chills.
So why not time for a change?
After all, that feels a lot like what this World Cup squad is about: a new manager, new teammates, not clinging to the previous ways of playing – and perhaps it’s time to put ‘Sweet Caroline’ to one side.
Now, we’re by no means saying that we’re ‘done’ with the John Denver anthem that has been reborn as a Three Lions anthem, but look at how good it was watching England belting out Oasis with the fans.
“Today is gonna be the day that England beat Croatia 4-2”, as BBC’s Match of the Day cleverly quipped.
Obviously, we’re biased as Mancs, but we also think there’s something special about having that particular track feel so good to hear again.
As much as we love Oasis, for a long time, it felt like we couldn’t enjoy arguably their biggest-ever single anywhere near as much as we once did.
We assume it’s something akin to hearing ‘Mr Brightside’ non-stop for what felt like millennia, and in truth, hearing those repetitions of “ba, ba, ba… SO GOOD, SO GOOD!” over and over again at sporting fixtures beyond just national team games has taken the magic out of it at times.
Perhaps it’s just a case of saturation in certain settings and songs simply being overplayed – FIFA’s co-hosts over in the US certainly helped see to that when it came to ‘Wonderwall’ for a long time.
On the other hand, it feels like we’ve now come full circle; singing those famous lyrics at the top of our lungs in a sea of Mancs and fans travelling from all over to Heaton Park for Live ’25 last year felt better than ever, and like we’d all remembered how great a tune it’s always been. So did this…
In fact, this felt so emotional that you’ve got people who aren’t even English praising both those on the pitch and up in the stands for the moment online.
Even the admittedly rather American Man vs Food himself, Adam Richman (though he does have British ancestry), felt compelled to write a moving response on social media: “Shut up. You’re the one that’s crying. Bravo, England.”
He’s far from the only one who was left bowled over by the atmosphere – us included.
What do you think? Is it time for a new go-to tournament anthem for the Three Lions moving forward?
Danny Jones -
7th September 2023 
