At the age of 35, Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans found himself confronting the very real possibility that his career might be drawing to a close.
This reckoning came as a result of a string of injuries that had plagued him in the previous year. However, it was his former club, Manchester United, that threw him a lifeline.
Evans had been grappling with persistent calf injuries during his tenure at Leicester City, and when the club faced relegation from the Premier League at the end of the last season, they decided to release him.
In a surprising turn of events, Manchester United offered him a short-term contract on transfer deadline day.
Since rejoining the club, he has already made four appearances, including being in the starting lineup for league victories against Burnley and Brentford.
“I think I went through a stage last year where you start thinking, ‘maybe this is it coming to an end,'” Evans told reporters ahead of Northern Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Slovenia later on Tuesday.
“I couldn’t get over the injuries, and every time I came back I was breaking down. I had a lot of people say, ‘there’s no way you’re close to finishing’, but you have to prove that to yourself and I feel I’ve been able to do that.
“I’ve trained a lot, getting all that behind me, completing matches,” added Evans, who came through United’s academy and played over 190 times for the club in his first stint between 2006-2015, winning three Premier League titles.
“Every time you complete a match you think, ‘there’s another one down’. Sometimes you’re having to confirm that to yourself and I’ve been pleased I’ve been able to go through that process. I feel I’m in a good place.”
United are 10th in the Premier League and face bottom club Sheffield United on Saturday.