I was promoted to RedCafe's main forum 3 years ago after saying Evans only gets in the side because he is homegrown. A quick look at this thread tells me that it remains to be shown, more than 150 weeks later, whether my statement was correct or not. And this in itself provides part of the answer.
I've nothing against the lad, I find it quite sexy when he roams forward like the French troops in the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz, but it's plain clear that he is not good enough at the back, not aggressive enough, not lucid enough in terms of anticipation to become the CB some thought he might turn out to be.
This doesn't mean he is a bad player, just that he failed to grow into the mould that some cast for him after his first few outings. In the end he will be a decent player for a decent side, a bit like Santon for Newcastle today, who if memory serves me right sprung to the fore in the same UCL game (United v Inter) years ago.
Personally, the one thing which made me refuse to grant the benefit of doubt to Evans while he came through is his silly petulance at shouting and directing his team-mates when he himself does not have the motor to back it up. The way he got annoyed at De Gea today when he had to punch away a ball into corner made me furious, you just don't behave like that with a team-mate (although it was just frustration at the way the game went).
