Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill described outgoing captain Jonny Evans as a “first-class player and a first-class human being” but understands that the 36-year-old felt he needed to concentrate on his career at Manchester United.

The defender won 107 caps for his country and played in all four of the team’s matches at the 2016 European Championships, but on Thursday he announced that he would be retiring from the international team.

“He is a top player, a top person who should be in every squad, in every team,” said O’Neill.

“The fact that Manchester United still values ​​him so much is also proof of that.”

Evans, who signed a one-year contract extension at Old Trafford in the summer, had previously indicated that he would have retired from football if he had not been offered a new contract at his boyhood club.

“It’s disappointing, but it’s nothing we haven’t talked about,” O’Neill said.

“We’ve discussed it at every meeting for the last six months. He never really wanted to make that decision but I think he realised that the international breaks would probably help him physically to give himself a chance to really make an impression at Manchester United.

“He has a lot of commitments, including three young players. International football is a big commitment when you’re involved for 18 years. But what he’s brought us over the years, what he’s given us, is fantastic, a first-class player and also a first-class person.”