Celtic target Jonny Evans has signed a “short-term deal” with Manchester United, the English Premier League club have confirmed.

The 35-year-old, who has been capped 102 times at international level, had been training with United’s Under 21s to keep up his fitness after leaving Leicester City at the end of last month.

However, the Red Devils have decided to hand Evans a contract so he is eligible to play for Erik ten Hag’s side in pre-season.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers was “keen” on bringing the centre-back to Glasgow, having previously worked with him during his time at Leicester.

Everton had also been credited with an interest in the player but, for now, Evans will be playing for United; the club where he started his professional career.

Evans may not be at United for long

It should be noted that United’s statement, which confirms that Evans has signed a contract, does not mention him staying beyond pre-season.

For that reason, there is a chance that a move to Celtic could still happen before the end of the summer.

A transfer will depend on Rodgers and the recruitment team at Celtic

While Rodgers has said that there are positions in the first-team squad that he wants to strengthen, he has so far relied on the club’s scouting department to pick transfer targets. In a recent interview, the 50-year-old said that he was very impressed with the system that has been put in place:

“What we have done is try to plan for the future with some of the signings that have come in. Ones that could play now but will be really valuable going forward. It’s too late when the future comes, but that’s one of the things I’ve been really impressed with, this process of planning behind the scenes from Michael Nicholson and Mark Lawwell. There’s a really good process in place and the club is in a really good place.”

It means that, even though Rodgers is a fan of Evans, there is no guarantee that he will end up as a target for the club, especially as it seems the Scottish champions are looking to recruit young players, rather than 35-year-olds.