Where does Jonny Evans fit in Moyes's plans?

After finally establishing himself under Sir Alex Ferguson during the past couple of seasons, Jonny Evans only has to go out and do that all over again. Such is the quality in central defence for Manchester United that Wednesday’s game against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup was Evan’s first competitive fixture for Manchester United this season.

With Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic establishing status quo at United, Evans might well have to wait for a while before he gets his next opportunity. And although the Newtownabbey man has played over 150 games for United, he will know very well that past glories don’t count for too much, especially not at United. With the English duo of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling also vying for the backup center half spot, he will know that he has his task cut out for him, if he is to regain the form that saw him play a pivotal part in providing a platform for United’s Premier League success last year.

Jonny Evans certainly took some time to gain the trust of Sir Alex and it was only later on that the Scot admitted that the central defender looked like a future Northern Ireland captain. And it looks he has to do the same with David Moyes, who is now in charge. At the outset, it looks as though Evans doesn’t feature too much in Moyes’ plans. After all, he wasn’t even in the match day squad for the opening few games of the season, including the Community Shield win over Wigan Athletic and the game against Crystal Palace, was the first time that he had even made the bench.

And although he played on Wednesday against Liverpool, it was a League Cup tie, where United traditionally have never fielded a strong side. His performance, however, is bound to present Moyes with the sort of selection headache that he would, no doubt, enjoy. Against Liverpool, although he was playing for the first time this season, he walked away as the best player on the pitch. Evans, along with Smalling, managed to control Suarez to pot shots from distance and Evans in particular, stood out.

Evans cleared everything that came his way and was composed with his passing, something that has always been a feature of his game. There were times last year, when his long cross field passes to either wings were a major source of attacking threat for United. Whilst his positioning might have let him down on a couple of occasions, his passing has certainly been one of his strengths, whether it was a simple 10-yard slide rule pass or a raking cross field to either wing, Evans has shown time and again that he is up for the challenge.

And more than anything else, his attitude and desire to win will please Moyes. After the win against Liverpool, Evans said “We want to win it. It was the first trophy I won and it was a great feeling to win it then.” Those words would have no doubt been like music to Moyes’ ears as he is on the lookout for a backup center half. Considering the fact that both Vidic and Rio are in the twilight years, Moyes would no doubt looking for a fresh pair of center halves to take over from the current pair and what he saw against Liverpool, might yet become a regular fixture as the season progresses.

With a problem of plenty at the back, Evans will certainly have to fight tooth and nail for his place in the side and that might yet prove to be the biggest challenge of his career. And although he has shown himself to be a class act, the fact is that he is yet to prove himself under Moyes and his performance on Wednesday might yet spark a comeback of sorts for the center back. And if he does, Moyes will certainly have a top quality center half to fall back on.