Erik ten Hag explains why Jonny Evans has returned to Manchester United

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has explained that Jonny Evans has joined the club to work on his fitness and help the squad.

Evans, who left Leicester City at the end of last season, started training with United over the weekend in a bid to try and improve his fitness levels. He was included in the 24-man squad that travelled to Edinburgh for this afternoon's clash with Lyon at Murrayfield Stadium and he starts on the bench.

The Northern Irishman, who is 35, is a graduate of United's academy and spent nine years at Old Trafford as a senior player before leaving in 2015 to join West Bromwich Albion. He has now returned to M16 on a short-term deal to enable him to feature in this afternoon's tussle against Lyon and against Wrexham in the United States.

Though the primary aim of his return to United is for him to work on his fitness levels, Ten Hag has admitted that he believes both parties can benefit from his presence, pointing to how United have recently been light on numbers because of players coming back late for pre-season training after being on international duty last month.

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Ten Hag told MUTV: "I have known him for a long time and I know that his place is Manchester. He came to train with us to work on his fitness and I said to him that not all the players are in - the internationals are out, still having their break.

"I thought it was a good idea to help each other out. Jonny can work on his fitness and he can help us out.

"We know he's a really experienced player, but also a very good person with a big personality and authority. He can help