MY ACCOUNT
Jonny Evans is ageing like a fine wine.
The Leicester centre-back is expected to sign a new one-year deal at the King Power Stadium which will take him past his 35th birthday — and he remains a key part of Brendan Rodgers’ plans for next season.
Ahead of this afternoon’s match between Northern Ireland and Cyprus, we take a look at the veteran defender’s ongoing importance for club and country.
Right place, right time
Northern Ireland are going through something of a transitional period right now.
Manager Ian Baraclough is looking to bed in a number of youngsters and the experience of Evans goes a long way towards aiding that process.
The 34-year-old is closing in on a century of international caps — and could become even more important to the Green and White Army if veteran captain Steven Davis decides to hang up his boots in the near future.
A constant
If reports are accurate, there could be quite an exodus at Leicester this summer and an array of star names have been linked with moves elsewhere.
The Foxes are expected to cash in on Youri Tielemans as the Belgium international is able to leave for free next summer.
Meanwhile, James Maddison is perpetually linked with a move to one of the Premier League’s big six, while Wesley Fofana continues to be among the most sought-after centre-backs in world football.
Those three make up a vital part of the team’s backbone, with Kasper Schmeichel not getting any younger and Jamie Vardy’s minutes having to be carefully managed.
All of this makes the continuity of Evans’ presence even more valuable to Rodgers
Costly mistakes
Leicester splashed out £15million to sign Jannik Vestergaard last season.
He was initially brought in to fill the void left by Fofana’s long-term injury but there was talk that he would eventually succeed Evans in the squad.
The Dane’s debut campaign was one to forget and while he has been fairly vocal recently about his future with the club, there are no guarantees that he will be a success in the East Midlands.
Speaking earlier this week, he said: “I will be highly motivated when I return to Leicester to improve that and I think it will benefit me with a little break at the back of this and a full pre-season.”
Evans is a safety net for Leicester if that improvement does not occur.
Leicester’s Thiago Silva
Rodgers is not shy about calling time on a player’s career.
During his spell as Liverpool boss, he made it clear that he felt as though Jamie Carragher’s time in the first team was coming to an end.
But the 49-year-old tactician still feels that Evans can contribute.
Speaking in April, he said: “I look at [Chelsea defender] Thiago Silva at 37, what a player — so who’s to say Jonny can’t do that, if he’s still got that hunger and determination?
“He’s at that level of mentality, top-level thinking, but it’s just trying to manage it.”
Deceptively effective
Evans is an attacking threat, as well as being defensively dominant.
He ranks in the 90th percentile for non-penalty goals and the 87th percentile for assists when compared with centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year.
He is also in the 85th percentile for passes attempted — showing that he is still comfortable in a possession-based team — and the 94th percentile for aerial duels won.
The Belfast native ticks plenty of the boxes required for a modern-day centre-back, repelling the ball defensively and creating chaos in the opposition’s box.
Both Leicester and Northern Ireland will be keen to make use of his services for a little while longer.
