Jonny Evans accepts he must lift his game if he is ever to break Manchester United's defensive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

With United due to travel to Liverpool on Sunday, manager Sir Alex Ferguson is considering resting Ferdinand and sparing the 30 year-old from the rigours of performing on CSKA Moscow's artificial pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Evans said: "I had a decent season last season, but I was playing within myself a bit. I've got to learn how to express myself a bit more on the pitch. I'm still learning and improving all the time and I feel like there's a lot more to come from me.

"Last year, because it was my first real season in the team, I just stuck to the defending side of things.

"This year I need to get on the ball and express myself more. Last year it was a conscious decision to play it safe and not be at fault for any goals.

"I'm not saying I'll be trying to dribble the ball all the way through the opposition from now on, just that I need to be more outgoing and commanding on the pitch."