Jonny Evans was amazingly relieved his £30m Manchester City transfer collapsed, says Michael O’Neill
West Brom held firm after City and Arsenal showed interest in the Northern Ireland centre-back
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MICHAEL O’NEILL held a heart-to-heart talk with Jonny Evans after his £30million dream move to Manchester City collapsed.
And Northern Ireland’s boss revealed his star defender is surprisingly upbeat despite missing out.
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West Brom held firm after City and Arsenal showed serious interest in centre-half Evans, who is now concentrating on his country’s World Cup ambitions tonight against the Czech Republic.
O’Neill said: “Certain things turn certain players but not Jonny. 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.
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“It has been great to have him available for every one of our qualifiers, not just the four games we had him for in the run-up to the Euros last summer.”
Ex-Manchester United star Evans, 29, will play alongside Hearts defender Aaron Hughes, 37, against the Czechs, who topped their Euro 2016 qualifying group.
A point in Belfast tonight will be enough to secure second place in Group C. But there is still work to do as only eight of the nine group runners-up earn a play-off place for the finals.
O’Neill, who is relying on Windsor Park being buzzing, said: “The crowd will play a huge part.
“The energy will be fabulous and the players will respond to that.
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“In Prague, we drew 0-0 against a very good team. Yes, we could have been better with the ball but it’s difficult away from home sometimes.
“We need this game to be difficult for the Czech Republic — and that’s a combination of on the pitch and in the stands.
“For a team with the resources we have, a small country, to be where we are in the qualification means the players deserve enormous credit.”