WILL EVANS is the cowboy who aims to shoot down Manchester United.
Newport County forward Evans was raised on a 3,000-acre farm high in the Mid-Wales hills, where dad Martin tends to 2,500 head of dairy cattle.
The Exiles will be bullish ahead of meeting the Old Trafford giants – nobody more so than Evans, who netted the third goal in their 3-1 third-round replay win over Eastleigh.
That was his 18th goal of the season and he has more than Red Devils trio Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial COMBINED this term.
So nobody would blame him for milking it if he scores against Man Utd, especially given his less conventional route into football.
The late starter sees things differently from the average pro after spending five years in higher education before joining Newport in May 2022.
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The Cardiff Met University, graduate has a degree in sports coaching and is a qualified teacher.
After leaving university, Evans, 26, played for Bala Town in the Cymru Premier League and scored twice for Wales C against England, prompting Newport to make their move.
He said: “While I was playing for Bala, I was working on the farm.
“It was part-time football so the game had to come second. I’d be up at 4.30am milking cows or out working on a building site on the farm land or working alongside my brothers and my dad. That felt normal.
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“My background surprises a lot of people in football. When I first told them I was a farmer it got a couple of laughs because people didn’t believe me.”
And his background has already stumped one Man Utd forward.
He explained: “We had Charlie McNeill on loan from Manchester United last season and he couldn’t believe what a farmer was, never mind playing alongside one!
“Hopefully, I’ve got a long time to go as a player. But after that I’d definitely be interested in staying in football in some way.
“Having been a student at university, now I’m a student of the game.”
Impress against United, and the farmer’s lad could land a big mooooove.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
