Man United defender Jonny Evans admits he ‘wasn’t up to par’ in Northern Ireland’s 4-2 defeat to Slovenia – as he struggles to bounce back from defeat in his second Red Devils debut against Arsenal
- Northern Ireland’s loss to Slovenia means they have one win from five qualifying matches
- The defender recently signed a new one-year contract with Manchester United
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off!
Manchester United’s new signing Jonny Evans has admitted his performance in Northern Ireland’s defeat to Slovenia on Thursday was ‘not up to scratch’.
Michael O’Neill’s men were beaten 4-2 in Ljubljana, with the loss all but confirming their failure to qualify for Euro 2024.
Andraz Sporar opened the scoring inside three minutes, with Isaac Price leveling for Northern Ireland, before goals from Petar Stojanovic and Benjamin Sesko put the home side 3-1 ahead at half-time.
Despite Evans scoring in the second half, Sporar’s second goal of the match put the match beyond Northern Ireland’s reach.
After the match, Evans talked about his personal achievement after being caught trying to play offside for Slovenia’s opener, and Sporar’s first goal accidentally deflected away from him.
Jonny Evans admitted his performance at the back for Northern Ireland was ‘not up to standard’
The loss all but confirms that Northern Ireland will not qualify for the 2024 European Championship to be held in Germany
Evans admitted: ‘I didn’t think I was playing great myself. I know I have a goal, but my own personal performance was probably not up to par.
‘I am experienced and wise enough to admit that. We can’t give away cheap goals at the start of the game like we did.
‘It was difficult to watch from the defense. That’s something we’ve always been solid and quite strong at.
“Even during the game I was thinking this isn’t a typical Northern Ireland game, especially when you’re at home.”
Northern Ireland have just one win in five Euro 2024 qualifying matches, beating lowly San Marino thanks to a brace from Dion Charles.
The rest of Group H consists of Finland and Denmark Slovenia and Kazakhstan.
Evans recently signed a new one-year contract with Manchester United after impressing Erik ten Hag in pre-season, and the experienced defender was used in United’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.
The experienced defender entered the match with the score at 1-1, but dramatic late goals from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus saw Arsenal take home all three points.
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Evans featured in Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend
The experienced defender scored in the defeat of Northern Ireland, but was responsible for several goals in Slovenia