Arsenal were heavily linked with Jonny Evans during the summer, but this transfer rumour was subject to a lot of ridicules on social media.

Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern, though, claims that Evans deserves a lot of respect and it was not nice to see him subject to social media ridicule. After having played a lot with Evans during the international games, McGovern says that the former Manchester United defender has everything required to succeed at the top level of the game.

After coming through the ranks at United, Evans slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford a few years ago and this resulted in the move to West Brom in order to get regular first team football. Under the guidance of Tony Pulis, the player has flourished with some impressive performances in recent months.

This reportedly made him a key transfer target for Arsenal during the summer. West Brom were reluctant to sell him due to the lack of alternatives in the squad. In the end, the Gunners brought in ShkodranMustafi from Valencia for a whopping £35 million. Evans would have been a less expensive signing, but he would not have been the World Cup winner as Mustafi.

Still, McGovern is of the opinion that a quality player like Evans should be treated with respect. “I don’t think he gets enough respect. At Man United he never got enough respect and he was part of the team that won the league; it was him, (Nemanja) Vidic and (Rio) Ferdinand and Jonny played most of that season.He’s a class defender. I don’t know if it’s because he’s British, if he was foreign maybe he’d got more credit. I think he showed at the Euros what a top-class defender he is,” saidMcGovern in response to the social media criticism.