Evans set for the top

Fans got a glimpse of United's future against Villarreal on Wednesday - young defender Jonny Evans is set to be a mainstay in the Reds defence in years to come.

Sir Alex Ferguson has placed great faith in the young Northern Ireland international, turning down four offers for the 20-year-old’s services over the summer.

Such is Evans’ standing at Old Trafford that Sir Alex would have no qualms about thrusting him into the cut-throat atmosphere of Sunday’s clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Nemanja Vidic’s suspension-enforced absence may leave Sir Alex no option, but Evans’ first start of the season – only his fourth United appearance in total – against Villarreal showed a commanding young centre-half ready to make the step up.

"It was a good night for him, and it’s an indication of his quality," Sir Alex told ManUtd.com. "We had offers for him from three or four clubs in the summer, but we stuck to our guns because we believe in him.

"Jonny will be the future centre-half for Manchester United, there’s no doubt about that. That’s a vindication of our belief in the boy, and also proves that he can believe what we’re saying to him - he'll play a lot of football here.

"He’ll get plenty of games and his performance on Wednesday gave me an idea of how to approach the match against Chelsea on Sunday."

Evans came very close to breaking the 0-0 deadlock against Villarreal when his header from Cristiano Ronaldo’s cross rebounded off the post. "He hit the inside of the woodwork in the second half and had a chance right after half-time, a nice header that went just past the post,” Sir Alex said. “He did well because he was carrying a slight groin injury.”

The Reds boss sees Evans carving a career at the top of the game if he continues the rapid progress he has made in recent years in United’s youth team, Reserves and in loan spells at Royal Antwerp and Sunderland.

"He’s only 20 years old but he’s already got around 10 international caps,” he added. “Jonny will be a fixture for Northern Ireland now and I imagine he’ll be their captain in time - he’s an outstanding candidate for that. He’s a boy with a great talent and we’re very pleased with his progress."