Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has revealed Jonny Evans was relieved his proposed move to Manchester City fell through.
Evans emerged as a surprise target for City towards the end of the summer transfer window but Pep Guardiola’s side failed to agree a fee with the Baggies.
The 29-year-old has managed to establish himself as a consistent performer in the Premier League since joining West Brom from Manchester United in 2015 and O’Neill claims he is now eager to move on from recent transfer speculation.
“Certain things can turn certain players but not Jonny,” The Sun quote O’Neill as saying. “We had a chat on Friday morning and to be honest there was a sense of relief.
“His focus is on Northern Ireland, his focus will revert to West Brom when he goes back. He’s fine to deal with all of that and it comes from his intelligence on and off the pitch.
“He never gets too carried away and he is very balanced. I don’t have any concerns about how he will perform. Whether we go to the World Cup or not, Jonny is a top-class player – and he showed that on the big stage in France last summer.”
Missing out on Evans may prove detrimental to City’s hopes of significant success this season as it will now mean Guardiola is banking on Vincent Kompany staying fit for prolonged periods.
Since August 2015, only Simon Francis (305) and Laurent Koscielny (279) have won possession in the defensive third more times than Evans (267) in the Premier League.
