Brendan Rodgers has praised Leicester for signing defender Jonny Evans, commending the club for the bargain fee.
The Foxes manager arrived at King Power Stadium in February 2019, with Evans joining earlier in the season. Now approaching the end of their first full campaign together at the club, Rodgers has spoken of his admiration for his fellow Northern Irishman.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, he said: “I think for me, where I was at an advantage, I've known Jonny as a young player, obviously from back home, and saw him move across to Manchester United with his family.
“But I have to say, Leicester City got the deal of the century for £3.5m to bring in a player of that level.”
Evans joined Leicester from recently relegated West Brom in June 2018, signing for a bargain fee of £3.5m. He has since made 64 appearances for the Foxes, first under Claude Puel before Rodgers took over from the Frenchman last year.
Rodgers became Leicester manager just eight months after Evans’ arrival, and attributes their on-field relationship to when he knew Evans as a youth player.
He added: “When I came in, I had an understanding that he was a good player. I was lucky enough to come in and inherit him, he was already at the club. [The playing style] suited him down to the ground, so for me since I've come in he's been absolutely brilliant.”
Evans has been one of Leicester’s key underrated players throughout the season, forming a formidable centre-back partnership with Turkish signing Caglar Soyuncu. The 32-year-old has played all 29 of the Foxes’ Premier League games, as they sit third in the table.
Before arriving at Leicester, the Northern Irish defender had stints at Sunderland and Belgian side Royal Antwerp, on top of three years at West Brom. Evans’ most notable club was Manchester United, where he spent two years in the youth setup before almost a decade in the first team.
Rodgers commented on Evans’ time at Old Trafford, saying: “He did fantastically at Manchester United but unfortunately for Jonny when he was there, when Louis van Gaal was there, he had a number of injuries which meant then that he left and went to West Brom.”
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Source : 90min