Jonny Evans, an unlikely hero who made his Manchester United debut after eight years and recorded a clean sheet and an assist in Saturday night’s 1-0 victory over Burnley, hailed it as the “best night of his life.”

Evans, 35, played his best football for West Brom and Leicester before unexpectedly signing a new deal with Old Trafford in the summer.

Erik ten Hag went to the seasoned Ulsterman when he faced an injury crisis, and on his 200th United appearance, he didn’t let him down with a man-of-the-match performance that saw his header disallowed before he set up Bruno Fernandes for a breath-taking volleyed winner.

‘I loved every minute of it,’ said Evans, whose name was chanted by the travelling fans after the game.

‘Coming up here on the bus I was buzzing. That was my 200th game for Man United. I never thought I would ever reach that figure – it’s the best night of my life.

Jonny Evans hailed the ‘best night of his life’ after returning to Man United’s starting line-up

Evans provided the assist for Bruno Fernandes goal as Man United secured a vital victory 

“You start to wind down your career when you reach a certain age.” I had no choice but to accept the call from United when it came, so I performed my best in training and took the chance.

“I was told that my job would be to create competition, so that’s how I’ve gone about it.” I then received the opportunity to start tonight due to a few injuries.

On his wonder goal, captain Fernandes modestly praised Evans for the assist.

‘It was a great pass from Jonny. I know he has great qualities playing the ball in behind with both feet,’ said the match-winner.

‘I was waiting for it [the pass]. Burnley give space behind but it was tough to get that at times and we took the chance when it was there.’

Rio Ferdinand, a United great, praised Evans as being “outstanding” in the game.

Rio Ferdinand praised Evans’ ‘excellent’ effort in the victory, calling him a former teammate.

Evans’ entire performance as he assisted in securing the tight victory was complimented by Ferdinand, who played with Evans at Manchester United.

Ferdinand remarked on TNT Sports, “I thought Johnny Evans was outstanding at the back, marshaled his back line very well, showing his leadership skills, his experience.”

He contributed to the goal and Bruno Fernandes’ moment as captain. That has today’s victory secured. 

It’s a significant victory for Manchester United. You need to halt the negative narrative that has recently been prevalent. The three recommendations are effective in beginning to alter the tide.

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Man United, appreciated the team’s unity and Evans’ performance.

Erik ten Hag appears to be enjoying on playing the siege mentality card with so many knives out for United.

The team performed well despite the pressure to win. The group dynamic was evident in the changing area. You must understand that winning every game is expected of you at United. If you don’t, you get criticized, even when playing Bayern Munich away,” Ten Hag added.

“We have issues, so it was a huge goal.” Many things right now, including injuries and choices, are against us.

Given the situation, the manager finds great comfort in Evans’ return, a throwback to the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Having a player like Jonny in the lineup makes us delighted. Because of his calm demeanor, you can recover even when things go against you, Ten Had said.

“This is just one victory, but what we have out there is unity.” The dressing room has a great atmosphere.

The timing of Rasmus Hojlund’s press release was excellent. Despite being sick, Sergio Reguilon wanted to play. That demonstrates spirit. Manchester United is an extremely challenging team to play against when its 11 players run at the appropriate moments.