Ex-Man Utd defender Jonny Evans has named two of his former team-mates at Old Trafford as “on another level to the rest of the team”.

The former Northern Ireland international called time on his playing career at the end of last season with Evans taking over as?head of loans and pathways at Man Utd.

Evans had spells at Man Utdbetween 2006-15 and 2023-25 with the centre-back playing 241 times in all competitions for the Red Devils over those two periods.

The 37-year-old won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, one Champions League and a FIFA Club World Cup during his time at Old Trafford.

Evans played with lots of incredible players but two stood out above the rest for the former Man Utd centre-back with special praise reserved for Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Evans told Sky Sports: “I always thought Scholes and Giggs were on another level to the rest of the team. Even though we had world class players I felt like their IQ was just a little bit higher than everyone else’s.

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“The both of them, they’d do things, more on the training pitch than anything, and you’d think, “I didn’t even know that existed. I’ll never be able to get to that level.” It’s just a different level.”

As well as playing with some legendary players, Evans also came up against some particularly special players with the former Man Utd star naming Luis Suarez as his toughest foe.

Evans added: “I’d go straight to [Luis] Suarez at?Liverpool. I’d probably go Suarez, [Didier] Drogba and [Sergio] Aguero. Over the years those three stand out more than the others.”

On Suarez, he added: “You just never knew what you were going to get with him. He’d bobble the ball through your legs. He could do everything. He was strong, brave, a real handful.”

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Announcing his retirement in June this year, Evans said in a statement: “I want to officially announce my retirement from my playing career, not with sadness, but with pride, gratitude and excitement for the next chapter ahead.

“I’ll be forever indebted to the managers, coaches, staff and, of course, my team-mates, that I have had the privilege of working alongside throughout my 20 years in professional football.

“Having had experience of loans myself, I know the crucial role that they can play within a player’s development. I am excited to help further develop the pathway to our first team and continue the legacy of young players thriving at Manchester United.”