Jonathan Grant "Jonny" Evans, a Northern Irish central defender, was born on January 2, 1988 in Belfast. He went to the Belfast High School in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, and later joined the Ashton-on-Mersey High School in Manchester after being signed by the Manchester United football club. He proved his academic excellence by obtaining either A* or A grades in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) nine times. His younger brother, Corry, is also a professional football player.
Jonny Evans was a part of the Northern Ireland Under-21 national football team before receiving a call-up from the senior national team in September 2006. He made his debut for the Northern Ireland national team in a memorable match against Spain, in which Northern Ireland had a 3-2 win. Jonny Evans continues to be an important member in the senior squad of the Northern Ireland national team and as of August 2008, he has made 11 appearances.
Jonny Evans started his career in football by playing for the Greenisland Football Club, a club in which his brother, Corry and Craig Cathcart, fellow player, had played. He later switched to the Manchester United's Academy and played in 2 of the 3 games in the 2006 summer tour of South Africa. Jonny Evans was also a part of the academy’s team in the friendly matches against Celtic and Preston North End, and he surprised his fans by his unexpected appearance at the Amsterdam Tournament against Ajax. He was loaned to Royal Antwerp, Manchester United's Belgian feeder club, for the first half of the 2006–2007 season. During his stint with Anterwerp, he made 2 goals in 14 appearances.
Jonny Evans joined Sunderland in December 2006 on loan and remained with the club till the end of the 2006–07 season, along with Danny Simpson, his team-mate at the Manchester United and Antwerp clubs. The duo were instrumental in helping Sunderland win the Football League Championship title, and Jonny Evans went on to win the club's Youth Player of the Year award. Though Roy Keane, Sunderland’s manager, was keen on signing him again, Jonny Evans received a confirmation in June 2007 to stay with Manchester United so that he can earn a place in their senior team.
On September 26, 2007 Jonny Evans made his debut for Manchester United in a match against Coventry City at the Football League Cup. On November 7, 2007 at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, he came in as a substitute in a match against Dynamo Kyiv at home and helped Manchester United to secure the qualification to the knockout stage of the competition. His first Champions League start came on December 12, 2007 in a match against Roma, following which he rejoined Sunderland on loan on January 4, 2008 and was included in their first team squad. Jonny Evans played in a match against Wigan Athletic in the Football Association (FA) Cup and as of August 2008, he has appeared in 15 matches for Sunderland.
