Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JONNY’D BE GOOD:
O’neill: Guardiola’s opinion of Jonny is what really matters
MICHAEL O’neill believes Manchester City target Jonny Evans remains one of the most underrated defenders in the Premier League.
The Northern Ireland boss has also told sneering keyboard warriors they’ve got it badly wrong about a player highly regarded by his peers.
News Pep Guardiola had tabled a £18m bid for the West Bromwich Albion centre-back last week was met by a wave of derision on social media.
Football snobbery against a player who won three league titles during his time with Manchester United? Probably. One suspects Evans would be more respected by the pseudo experts on Twitter if he’d been raised in sunny Bilbao and not Rathcoole.
On the Tweet bashers, O’neill (inset) said: “It’s not something Jonny should pay much attention to. I think people in the game will have a better opinion of that than possibly supporters.
“Is Jonny undervalued? I think some of our players are undervalued. Steven Davis is one of those, Chris Brunt, Gareth Mcauley, Craig Cathcart as well.
“Jonny’s Premier League proven and played for arguably the biggest club in England for nine years, so no one should have any concerns about him playing at the top end of the Premier League.
“I have seen numerous centrebacks from all around the world come into the Premier League and struggle with big price tags.
“Whoever Jonny is playing for is going to benefit from having him.”
O’neill suspects Evans’ ease on the ball and versatility in various defensive formations has brought him onto Guardiola’s radar.
He said: “What he offers is a lot of flexibility. He can play in a flat back four, a back three and we have even played him at left-back.
“Centrehalves are hard to find and his ability to play right side or left side and the fact he is comfortable playing in either system is great.
“Jonny brings all the things you look for in a defender: mobility, leadership, good use of the ball and good game intelligence.”
Asked if City boss Guardiola had asked him about Evans during their time together at the recent Irish Open Pro-am, O’neill said: “Listen, they don’t need my opinion.
“These clubs have massive resources. They have identified Jonny as a player they want to sign and it’s between the two clubs now.”
O’neill’s only concern is that Evans’ future is sorted long before Northern Ireland face San Marino in their next World Cup qualifier in Serravalle on September 1.
He said: “Typically these things can drag to the last day of the window. We have to make sure when he comes in, Jonny is ready to play. He is mature enough to deal with all that.”