Jonny Evans came off the bench for Manchester United in their pre-season friendly against Lyon on Wednesday.
It sees the centre-back make his first appearance for United since 2015, eight years ago, in a shock turn of events.
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The 35-year-old penned a short-term contract this week after leaving Leicester at the end of his deal in June.
And Erik ten Hag has decided to utilise the veteran defender after bringing him on at 0-0 for the second-half in a friendly against Lyon at Murrayfield.
This is Evans’ second stint at United, having come up through the club’s academy when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge.
After making his Red Devils debut in 2007, Evans went on to play 198 times for the club before leaving in 2015 for West Brom.
Ten Hag was left impressed by Evans, who was invited back to his old club to train with the first-team following his departure from Leicester this summer.
Initially, he only trained with the Under-21s but has wowed coaches after several sessions with the first-team.
Ahead of United’s friendly against Lyon on Wednesday, Evans signed a short-term contract that meant he was allowed to play against the French side.
And he is also eligible to play against Wrexham next week at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, United States.
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Evans initially started on the bench against Lyon before being called to action for the second-half at Murrayfield in Scotland.
He replaced World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez after Ten Hag switched out his whole side against Lyon.
And it worked a treat as within minutes, the Red Devils took the lead through Donny van de Beek.
The forgotten man, who is looking to leave Old Trafford this summer, netted a beauty of a volley and celebrated with a roar after months out with injury.
Ten Hag has explained his decision to bring Evans to the club and wants him to pass on his experience to the younger players.
While the Northern Ireland international was largely considered a squad player at United in his first spell, Evans has since forged a fine reputation in the Premier League.
Despite suffering relegations with West Brom and Leicester, the veteran star has been praised for his ability on the ball and his leadership.
He captained both the Baggies and the Foxes, though injury limited his time on the pitch last season at the King Power Stadium.
Whether Ten Hag trusts Evans enough to be utilised in the Premier League remains to be seen.
Though he has plenty of experience of winning trophies at Old Trafford, including three Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008 – a competition United will return to next season.
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