Erik ten Hag finds emergency Man Utd transfer option as ‘offer’ made

Manchester United are set to complete the signing of an old favourite as Erik ten Hag seeks extra cover within his squad. United have been left scrambling for more depth late in the window after some big-money signings earlier in the window.

Injuries to the likes of Mason Mount and Raphael Varane have forced Ten Hag to realise that more cover is needed, particularly in midfield and at centre-back. Sofyan Amrabat looks set to arrive to add depth in the midfield, and as for the centre-back situation, Ten Hag hasn’t needed to look far at all.

Back in early summer, old favourite Jonny Evans, who is now 35 years of age, was signed to provide extra cover at centre-back after he decided not to sign a new deal at Leicester City. Evans was handed a pre-season contract, allowing him to get paid for the training he did during the summer, while also appearing in some of the pre-season outings.

Evans did enough to impress, too, having been a consistent performer for Leicester City over recent years. According to The Sun, the veteran will be offered a one-year deal ahead of the deadline, with Ten Hag seeing the Northern Irishman as a good option to add depth to the centre-back position.

In the absence of Varane, United only have three senior options at centre-back between Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. Evans doesn’t need to be signed before the deadline, so there is no rush for him to sign a contract. The only real deadline is the Premier League’s squad registration deadline, which comes in late September. Evans would need to be part of that list if he wants to play any football for United this season.

It’s unclear whether the veteran has other options to play more regular football, but it seems likely he will pen a deal to return to Old Trafford full time eight years after his exit.