Jonny Evans admits he is immensely proud of Northern Ireland’s performances in his absence, even if he was disappointed to miss out on the wins over Faroe Islands and Greece.
The Manchester United defender sustained an ankle injury during the defeat to Leicester City and, although he has had a protective boot removed, manager Louis van Gaal revealed he was still to return to light training last week and was unable to feature for his country.
Michael O’Neill’s side top Group F of the European Championship qualifiers with maximum points, the first time the country have won their opening three games in the competition, after upsetting top seeds Greece 2-0 on Tuesday night.
“Obviously, it was a great win for the team and I think it was thoroughly deserved,” Evans told ManUtd.com. “We had a really good game-plan against Greece and it’s fantastic we’ve got three wins on the trot at the start of the campaign. It sets us up going forward for the rest of the games.
“We’ve had spells in the past where we’ve had a lot of wins but the pleasing thing is two of the victories have come away from home, where it’s always been difficult for us. We had some good performances throughout the last campaign but just came up short with the results. I think the manager, Michael O’Neill, has done a fantastic job in getting everybody together and believing in ourselves.”
Evans hopes to return to the side for next month’s trip to Romania to add to his 35 international caps and has spoken to his brother Corry, who performed in midfield in Athens on a memorable night for Northern Ireland.
“It’s been absolutely gutting to miss the games but I’m immensely proud of the lads for the way they’ve performed,” Jonny added. “I’ve been in regular contact with my brother obviously and I’m pleased to see the lads performing so well and getting the result.”
More: Falcao and Reds return home | Fletcher features for Scotland
via Jonny Evans ‘immensely proud’ of Northern Ireland – Official Manchester United Website.
Res Ipsa Loquitor 