Source: Daily_Mail
We're ready for Manchester City, vows Rio's United stand-in Jonny Evans
Jonny Evans is ready to step from one cauldron and into another as he prepares to face Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Northern Ireland centre-back is once again expected to fill in for Rio Ferdinand in what could prove to be a tempestuous derby.
And after experiencing the raucous atmosphere of Besiktas' Inonu Stadium in Istanbul on Tuesday, Evans is certain he has what it takes to put on a performance.
'It was a great atmosphere to play in and a few of the lads applauded their fans when we came off because you have to appreciate support like that,' said the 21-year-old.
'Each European game differs, the stadiums the pitches, the atmospheres... we knew it was going to be hostile, but it was a great atmosphere and you learn from experiences like that.'
He added: 'And we all know about the big rivalry between United and City. It’s always nice to get the upper hand on them. They’ve put themselves up there now. It’s a long season but fair play to them because they’ve got off to a good start.
'City have had a great start, but our performance at Spurs last weekend was outstanding. The lads did brilliantly to come back from losing an early goal and also cope with being down to ten men when Scholesy got sent off. I watched from the bench and it’s one of the best performances I’ve seen from us in a long time.'
Last season marked Evans' breakthrough at United, with the youngster establishing himself as a valued understudy to both Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
Now he feels ready whenever Sir Alex Ferguson calls.
'I feel very settled among the first team squad now,' he said. 'I also felt very much part of it last season, but it was kind of a new thing for me.
'Rio and Vidic are two of the top centre-backs in the world and I’m learning a lot from them. Me and Wes [Brown] have both got a fight on our hands to get into the team, but I still think both of us will play a lot throughout the season.'
