Jonny Evans was an unlikely Fantasy football hero. Much maligned going into this season, there was clear doubts over the 24-year-oldās credentials as a top flight defender, amongst fierce competiion in the United ranks. Evans extinguished those concerns with his displays last term, establishing himself as a Fantasy prospect in the process.
A knee injury suffered by Nemanja Vidic in the opening game of the season, suddenly promoted the Belfast born defender in the United pecking order and put Fantasy managers on alert. While the early season form of both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling saw him suffer rotation and uncertainty, by Gameweek 21, Evansā own form had established him as first choice alongside Rio Ferdinand. He went on to contribute a string of consistent displays, emerging as Fergusonās defensive rock in the absence of the inspirational Serb.
In Fantasy terms, we suddenly had a cheap prospect amongst a United defence that was returning regular clean sheets. Evans was irresistible for the final four months of the season, his prospects only derailed by an ankle injury that ruled him out of two of the final three matches.
The Statistics
Evans started last term as a 4.5 prospect in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, but was not expected to play anything more than a cameo role. He went on to record 28 starts, however, including 15 consecutive appearances from January onwards. He recorded eight clean sheets in this regular spell, including a run of six shutouts in seven, from Gameweek 28 to 34. Evans’ FPL price increased to a season high of 5.7 by Gameweek 35, only to be stalled by that late injury.
Evans boosted his defensive returns with a goal and three assists, while 11 FPL bonus points helped him to a place in the top ten value defenders for the season. He ended with an FPL ownership of over 8%, although that had declined rapidly following his injury late in the campaign.
The Prospects
Like so many of last seasonās prosperous Fantasy assets, Evans will pose a problem next term. Itās a given that heāll be subject to a price rise across the games, with the FPL likely to add him to the bracket alongside Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Rio Ferdinand and Rafael. That will form a group of five United defenders, all likely vying for two spots in Sir Alex Fergusonās defence.
Despite missing the pre-sesason, Vidic is expected to return from his cruciate knee injury to be in contention for the start of the 2012/13 campaign. While he may well be eased back into action, thereās little doubt that the Serb will be first choice with the slot alongside him up for grabs. Rio Ferdinand accumulated 29 starts last season ā it seems likely that he will be subject to rotation, mainly with Evans, throughout the next campaign.
Fantasy managers will need to examine and analyse Unitedās pattern of rotation, with Champions League and Carling Cup football giving Ferguson the chance to spread opportunities and establish a first choice defensive lineup for the Premier League. It remains to be seen whether Evanās is part of that.
Given the price rise and inevitable concern over his starts, thereās little doubt that Fantasy managers will approach with caution. Evans may well be relegated back to a familiar role in Fantasy terms: serving as a cheaper route into a solid defensive unit, when injuries and suspensions point to regular starts. Much depends on the fitness and form and Ferdinand.
The prospect of Rafael or Jones cementing their roles, or even Anders Lindagaard displacing David de Gea in goal once again, will likely stall on our commitment to the United defence. Vidic and Patrice Evra will offer the assured but expensive route to their returns: the fixture list will likely determine just how many look to acquire their services.
