Jonny Evans is sticking around at the King Power.

Leicester City announced a two-and-a-half-year extension for the Northern Ireland defender on Thursday.

Evans, 33, was set to be out of contract in the summer.

"It is a club that I didn't want to leave," Evans told the BBC. "I've enjoyed my time and I'm delighted to extend the deal."

A native of Belfast, Evans came up through the Manchester United academy, making his English senior debut with Sunderland in 2006.

Evans was recalled from his loan from the Black Cats and made his Red Devils debut in 2007. Over the course of nine seasons with United, Evans made 198 appearances across all competitions and won three Premier League titles and two League Cups.

He joined West Brom in 2015 and, after three seasons at the Hawthorns, signed for the Foxes in 2018.

Evans emphasized his strong relationship with manager Brendan Rodgers as one of the driving factors in his decision to stay.

"From the moment, I came into the club, I could see that they set really high standards," Evans said. "There's the investment that they have put into the club in terms of the training ground and there are plans in the future to redevelop the stadium as well. There's also always investment going into the playing squad which is huge and we've got a great manager in charge at the moment. Anyone who plays under Brendan would say that. He likes his players to express themselves. He gives them lots of confidence and I feel like I've benefited from that style of football."

Internationally, Evans has been capped 88 times by Northern Ireland, appearing at EURO 2016.

Leicester sits third in the Premier League table on 29 points, four behind leaders Liverpool. The Foxes return to action on Sunday with a visit to Newcastle United.