JONNY COULD STILL PLAY FOR UNITED
PREMIER LEAGUE Pardew praises skipper
ALAN PARDEW says West Brom skipper Jonny Evans would slip straight back into
Manchester United’s side.
Evans was considered surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and was shipped out for a bargain £6m just over two years ago. Now West Brom value him at nearer £30m and are braced for renewed bids to lure him away in January. The Baggies turned down an £18m deadlineday deal bid from Manchester City with Arsenal and Leicester also keen on landing Evans. Clubs could come in again and manager Pardew knows he could face a desperate fight to hold on to his star defender next month. Pardew (left) said: “He’s just a great player. I think he showed that the other night against Liverpool. “Make no mistake, he could easily wear a Manchester United shirt on Sunday.” The Northern Ireland ® international’s inspired performances have made him one of the most coveted central defenders around.
United will be able to see the one that got away close up when they visit The Hawthorns tomorrow.
Pardew revealed that losing Evans, 29, to a big-money offer is something that worries him.
He’s desperate to keep him but admitted: “I am hopeful, but football is football.”
Pardew’s immediate task is to try and get the better of Jose Mourinho, the man he acknowledges as the undisputed master.
He gives short shrift to the Mourinho critics who believe his opposite number has lost his magic touch.
Pardew said: “I make no bones of the fact that I am a big admirer of him and his work.
“He knows how to win things. He’s won more trophies than Pep Guardiola. He gets a lot of criticism which I think is unfounded.
“He counts the Community Shield as a trophy he’s won and why wouldn’t you?
“I don’t understand the people who somehow think it isn’t a trophy. To win it you have to win the league or the FA Cup. I’d count it.
“Jose is a master of studying the opposition. He’s probably the best manager in the world at subduing a team.”