MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United defender Jonny Evans announced his retirement from soccer on Monday, ending a playing career that included three Premier League titles.
The 37-year-old Evans will take up a new role at United overseeing loans and player development.
“I want to officially announce my retirement from my playing career, not with sadness, but with pride, gratitude and excitement for the next chapter ahead," he said.
Evans became a free agent at the end of the season following his second spell at United, having graduated through its academy. He also played for West Bromwich Albion and Leicester in a career in which he played 107 times for Northern Ireland. His other major trophies were the FA Cup and two English League Cups.
Evans is currently completing his qualifications in coaching. His official title at United is head of loans and pathways.
“Having just finished his exceptional playing career, Jonny is the perfect role model for our young players,” said United director of football Jason Wilcox. "Jonny’s knowledge of what it takes to succeed at Manchester United will be of great benefit to each of them as we continue to develop world-class talent capable of performing in our first team.”
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FILE - Manchester United's Jonny Evans runs during the English League Cup third round soccer match against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, file)
DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.
The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.
A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.
“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.
Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.
The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.
“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”
FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)