‘You can’t let him go’ – Rio Ferdinand names the player Manchester United should never have sold

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United should never have sold Jonny Evans, claiming he was the club’s ‘best defender’ when he departed.

During his first time at United, Evans appeared in 198 games and helped the Red Devils win three Premier League championships.

The Northern Ireland international fell out of favour with former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal and was moved to West Brom for £8 million in 2015.

Centre-back has proven a difficult position for United in the meantime, prompting the club to re-sign Evans at the age of 35 in the summer of 2023.

Evans spent five years with Leicester City before returning to the Theatre of Dreams to make 30 appearances across all competitions last season.

The veteran has also played consistently this season, earning Man of the Match honors in Sunday’s goalless draw with Aston Villa.

Ferdinand feels this is additional proof that Evans should never have been sold, and that the club could have built around him rather than selling him for a paltry amount.

‘He should have had another 12 years at Manchester United,’ Ferdinand stated about Evans on his YouTube channel.

‘As soon as they sold him, I said, “Wow, who approved this? “How can you let him go?” He’s probably your best defender there.

‘He was also experienced, more so than Phil Jones or Chris Smalling. You cannot let him leave.

‘He knows the club’s fabric. If you want to preserve a club’s culture, you need players who understand it and have been there. He is one of them.

They might have constructed around him. Look at how many pairings they’ve attempted to form and how many center-backs they’ve acquired since him.

Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones agreed with Ferdinand’s assessment, saying he was ‘not shocked’ to see him perform in the draw with Villa.

‘That did not surprise me. “He’s a top player,” said Jones, who retired in August following a lengthy and difficult time of injuries.

‘People look at his age, but he’s still a great player. His selection as Man of the Match came as no surprise to me because I am familiar with his skills.

‘He’s comfortable on the ball, reads the game well, understands what it takes to play for United, and is an organizer and leader.’

Evans’ performance as Manchester United’s best player against Aston Villa ‘felt wrong’, according to Old Trafford great Paul Scholes.

‘Jonny knows the style of Manchester United, I believe you’ve got to give him full credit, he was good tonight,’ Scholes remarked on Premier League Productions.

“There’s just something that feels a little wrong about it to me, to have a player who has come back after so long, he just came to train with the team to stay fit, and another year later he’s Manchester United’s best centre-back.”That indicates that things isn’t quite right. Man United are 14th in the Premier League, which indicates that something isn’t right.

‘But I agree, I believe they were a lot more structured today; they seem more tough to play against and break through.’