Bruno Fernandes gave Evans his MOTM prize for his 'outstanding' performance

Unlikely hero Jonny Evans hailed it as the 'best night of his life' as he returned to the Manchester United starting line-up after eight years to claim a clean sheet and assist in Saturday night's 1-0 at Burnley.

Evans, 35, spent the peak years of his career at West Brom and Leicester before surprisingly being given a new contract at Old Trafford in the summer.

Facing an injury crisis, Erik ten Hag turned to the experienced Ulsterman and he didn't disappoint with a man-of-the-match performance on his 200th United appearance that saw his header disallowed before he set up Bruno Fernandes for a stunning volleyed winner.

'I loved every minute of it,' said Evans, whose name was chanted by the travelling fans after the game.

'Coming up here on the bus I was buzzing. That was my 200th game for Man United. I never thought I would ever reach that figure – it's the best night of my life.

'When you get to a certain age you start to wind down your career. I got the call from United and didn't have another option, so I just took it and tried to do my best in training and take my chance.

'I was told my role would be to provide competition and that is how I have approached it. With a few injuries I then had the chance to start tonight.'

On his wonder goal, captain Fernandes modestly praised Evans for the assist.

'It was a great pass from Jonny. I know he has great qualities playing the ball in behind with both feet,' said the match-winner.

'I was waiting for it [the pass]. Burnley give space behind but it was tough to get that at times and we took the chance when it was there.'

With so many knives out for United, Erik ten Hag seems to be thriving on playing the siege mentality card.

'It was a must-win and the team responded. You could see the