WEST BROMWICH ALBION have bolstered their defence by securing the services of Manchester United and Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans.

The 27-year-old, who made 198 appearances for United winning three Premier League titles, has signed for a reported £6 million plus £2m in add-ons.

Speaking after his side’s 1-0 away win at Stoke on Saturday, Albion manager Tony Pulis revealed that he had spoken about Evans with the player’s former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and current Albion players Darren Fletcher and James Chester, who both played with him at United.

He said: “There was a lot of people who have given a really good mention. He needs to play and be at a football club where he’s going to be a regular and maybe the mainstay.

“He’s had a few injuries over the past year or two that have kept him out of the team and he’s had some great players in front of him. But we want him and we need him at this football club.”

Pulis also said he was hopeful that Evans wouldn’t be the last through the door before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

He said: “We are hopefully going to be busy in this window and he is one of a few players that we need to bring in.

“We know where we are lacking and we need more to be competitive in what is going to be a very competitive league this year.”

But on Pulis’s first return to his former club it was another one of his summer signings that helped his current employers secure their first league win of the season.

Club record £12m signing Salomon Rondon headed home a cross from substitute Rickie Lambert just before the break after the Potters had been reduced to nine men following the sendings off of midfielders Ibrahim Afellay and Charlie Adam.

“We’re devastated we have lost to an opposition team we think that 11 versus 11 we would have beaten quite comfortably,” said Stoke manager Mark Hughes after the game. “There is a frustration we weren’t able to do that.”