It would be fair to say it was not the 26-year-old’s finest performance – he presented Ben Reeves with the ball to set up Will Grigg’s opener and was nutmegged by Benik Afobe as the on-loan Arsenal striker went through to score the League One side’s fourth goal.

Even Dons chairman Pete Winkelman acknowledged United “looked uncertain defensively” – but Evans would not let the horrendous result overshadow the honour bestowed on him by manager Louis van Gaal.

“It’s a massive thing in my career to captain Manchester United,” he told the Daily Star.

“While I was disappointed with the result, wearing the armband isn’t something many people get to do so I’m proud of that.”

Michael Keane, Marnick Vermijl and Reece James made up the rest of an unfamiliar back four and Van Gaal claimed afterwards his selection was dictated by injuries and fixture congestion.

The outcome echoed Evans’ first senior appearance for United – a shock 2-0 defeat to Coventry, also in the League Cup, in 2007.

Evans continued: “In circumstances like these, I’m sure the manager would like to blood debutants alongside more experienced players, but because we played on Sunday I don’t think that was possible.

“There’s a consequence of that, I learnt that myself on my debut against Coventry a few years ago, but it’s a big learning experience.

“I think the most important thing is to pick yourself up, learn from it and don’t dwell on it too much.”