Sunderland sign Corry Evans - but who is he and why did he leave Blackburn Rovers?

The club have announced contract extensions for Aiden McGeady and Luke O’Nien as well as several signings for their youth team.

Those deals were strengthened by the arrival of Alex Pritchard on a free transfer but now the club Evcas concluded a deal for Evans before the season gets underway.

But what do we know about the player? Here, we take a look:

Corry Evans – fact file

Position: Midfielder/defender

Age: 30-years-old

Club: Free agent

Nationality: Northern Irish

Height: 5 ft 11 in

So what is the story with Corry Evans and Sunderland?

Evans, who was released by Blackburn Rovers in the summer, becomes the club’s second summer signing after Pritchard joined the Black Cats last week.

The midfielder had previously been linked with a Championship move this summer.

What experience does Corry Evans have?

As you would expect, the 30-year-old has a wealth of experience in football.

The player came up through the ranks at Manchester United, enjoying loans at Carlisle and Hull City before joining the Tigers on a permanent deal.

After two seasons as a Championship regular at Hull, Evans joined Blackburn Rovers and spent seven seasons at Ewood Park, making 184 league appearances.

Indeed, whilst at Rovers, Evans was relegated to League One with the club but managed to help his back into the Championship.

Evans has also racked up 65 caps for Northern Ireland and played at EURO 2016.

Why was Corry Evans released from Blackburn Rovers?

Injuries blighted Evans’ tenure at Ewood Park.

Groin issues have been the main fitness concern and the player spent three months on the sidelines after sustaining a fractured skull in a head collision against Preston North End in January 2020.

Evans battled back from that, only to break his toe on a goalscoring return to the side against Bristol City last June.

What did Rovers boss Tony Mowbray say about Corry Evans and his departure?

Mowbray said back in May: "Corry is an immense young man, an international footballer.

“He has plenty going for him. Let's see, but I am sure there will be a lot of takers for him.

"I have no doubt that not only will he find a new club, but it will be at a good level.”

And Mowbray added: "His overall season seems to have been driven by injuries.

"From having his face smashed last year to a broken toe and then a hamstring issue, he's had injuries all along.

"He has been unlucky with injuries. He was injured when I arrived here but if you are an abrasive, attritional footballer you will pick up injuries.

"I don't know his perception of the last four years. We went down to League One at the start but we had a good season getting back up. We tried to build from there but Corry has missed a lot of it through injury. I remember him making his return from his head injury and scoring but breaking his toe in the same game.”

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