Evans made his bow in the most prestigious club competition in the world last night coming on as a substitute with 20 minutes left in United's comprehensive 4-0 win at Old Trafford over Dynamo Kiev - a result which sent the Red Devils into the knockout stages.

Evans slotted into the heart of defence and had a steady outing, which will have pleased the youngster after a difficult first team debut in a Carling Cup defeat to Coventry earlier in the season.

With Roy Keane's Sunderland, where Evans was so successful on loan last season, keen to sign him on a permanent basis in January, Ferguson is set to tempt the teenager to stick around by giving him chances in the remaining Champions League games, now that United have qualified.

"I will play mixed teams in the rest of the games," he said.

"Jonny Evans may play in the Sporting Lisbon game and other young players may get an opportunity.

" It is good for them to get games. They will be required as the season goes on, particularly when it comes to December when the games become quite hectic.

"It also shows they have a great chance at this club so they know their future is here."

Football, as has been said many times in the past, is a funny game because just hours before Evans played at the Theatre of Dreams in a match watched by millions around the world, it was officially been announced that he had been left out of the Northern Ireland squad for the crucial European Championship qualifiers against Denmark and Spain later this month.

Instead, as revealed by The Belfast Telegraph earlier this week, Evans must be content with a place in the under-21 squad for games against Luxembourg and Moldova.

Certainly it is a decision by manager Nigel Worthington that has surprised the Green and White Army, not least because Evans was superb in previous matches against Denmark and Spain in the Euro campaign.

Indeed his first cap came in the famous 3-2 win over the Spanish last year when David Healy scored a stunning hat-trick and he followed that up with an excellent display in a scoreless draw in Copenhagen.

True, he did not have the best of games in the defeats to Latvia and Iceland in September, but he wasn't alone there.