New Blade Evans is on his mettle
23-year-old, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Wigan, said: “In my first conversation with the manager I told him there was no need to sell the place to me. It’s clear I’ve come to a massive club with great history and pedigree that’s clearly moving in the right direction. It’s got everything you could want as a footballer. I know I’m going to have to fight for my place but if I’m involved on Friday then I can’t wait.”
Evans is among three new signings for the Blades, along with James Wilson and the former Southend midfielder Ryan Leonard. All hope to play a part in a game that will see the hosts climb back into the top six if they avoid defeat, or seal a first league double over the old enemy since 2006.
Wilson burst onto the scene by scoring twice on his Manchester United debut, but the former England Under-21 international has failed to push on in the intervening four years due to a series of injuries which last saw him make a senior appearance 15 months ago.
The 22-year-old forward admits it has been hard to watch the likes of Marcus
Rashford muscle past him in the Old Trafford pecking order as he begins a third loan stint away from the Theatre of Dreams.
“I’m getting back on track and hopefully this will help me jump-start my career,” Wilson said. “It’s tough to see other academy players break through at United, especially when I’ve been out injured, and thinking it could have been me, but I don’t dwell on it. Coming here is a great opportunity.”
If United manager Chris Wilder has a selection headache due to his recent influx of numbers, the opposite is true for Wednesday boss Jos Luhukay.
The new Hillsborough manager struck a positive note despite being without Sam Hutchinson, Tom Lees, Barry Bannan, Kieran Lee and Fernando Forestieri as he looks to increase the slender six-point advantage the Owls have on the bottom three.
Luhukay said: “The fans have been very positive since I arrived, and I want to give them something back. This game is one of the highlights of the season and a great one to start with.”