“I just don’t get it” – Graeme Souness slams Manchester United for allowing “better” player to leave Old Trafford
Former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness slammed Manchester United’s decision to sell centre-back Jonny Evans to West Bromwich Albion in August 2015.
Northern Irishman Jonny Evans spent a total of nine years at Old Trafford, during which he was sent out three times on loan. Evans joined Manchester United as a 9-year old. He was largely expected to be retained by the club in the post-Ferguson days.
However, he wasn’t rated by Dutchman Louis van Gaal who decided to sell him to West Bromwich Albion. After three seasons with Albion, Leicester City decided to buy the centre-back by triggering his £3.5 million release clause.
Graeme Souness makes Manchester United transfer claim over Leicester City's Jonny Evans #mufc manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football…
Evans has been an integral part of the Leicester City squad since joining in February 2018. He has made 97 Premier League appearances for the Foxes.
This season, Evans has registered 10 starts across all competitions and has an assist to show for it. In an interview with talkSport, Souness claimed that Manchester United were wrong in selling the player. He said that the Irishman is a better defender than all current CBs at the club. He said:
"I look at Manchester United without having any inside detail on how they work. I don’t see anyone putting their hand up and saying ‘I signed him, he’s my player’. I don’t see anyone taking responsibility. The thing you have to get right at a football club is recruitment and since Fergie went it has been a masterclass in how to get it wrong. That’s how I see it."
Souness added:
"You look at the players they’ve brought in, the players they’ve sold. Jonny Evans was allowed to leave. Jonny Evans is better than any centre-half they have now. I just don’t get it.”
Graeme Souness slams Manchester United's transfer policy since Sir Alex Ferguson left
Souness went on to claim that even Sir Alex Ferguson was left surprised with Manchester United’s decision to let Jonny Evans go. He said:
"There was a conference in France for the coaches and Sir Alex was there talking about it and he openly said to me that he could not believe Van Gaal had sold Jonny from United because having seen him come through, he felt Jonny would spend his whole career at United or certainly to the latter stages of his career."
In the post-Ferguson era, Manchester United can only be described as clueless in the transfer market. This is especially before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came in to bring stability to the club. The club has sold off multiple players in the last few years who have gone on to have a successful time at different clubs.
Manchester United’s struggles over the past few years at the defensive midfielder position would arguably not have existed had they not sold Ander Herrera. He currently plies his trade at PSG with the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
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Several obvious top-class players in the form of Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Memphis Depay, and Javier Hernandez were sold off during this period. Additionally, United failed to keep hold of some bonafide legends at the club. Patrice Evra moved to Juventus in 2014 and played in a Champions League final while Nemanja Vidic also enjoyed a spell at Inter Milan.
The club’s transfer market dealings seemed to be haphazard and not in accordance with specific plans. Graeme Souness is only right in adding Jonny Evans to the above list. Evans has three Premier League titles and one Champions League title to show for his time with Manchester United.