Evans suffered a high-speed roll at Rally Mexico that left regular co-driver Dan Barritt with mild concussion.

M-Sport had initially expected Barritt to be fit for Corsica but confirmed on Saturday that he will sit out the upcoming event in order to aid his recovery.

Mills has been part of Evans’ gravel crew for the past five years, having called time on a lengthy career that included title success in 2003 with Petter Solberg.

“It won’t be easy without Dan, but his fitness comes first and it’s important that he has the time to make a full recovery for the rest of the season,” said Evans. “Phil has stepped in, and I hope that we can push for a good result.

“Phil certainly knows his stuff. Other than Dan, he knows my pacenotes better than anyone and he’s certainly no stranger when it comes to winning rallies.

“We’ll have a fairly late running order which won’t be ideal, and we’ll need some time to get used to one another in the car as well.

“We’ll just have to see how it goes and do the best we can. I’ve had some good results here in the past, and I’m keen to see what we can do this year.”

Evans heads into the fourth round of the season 12th in the standings, 48 points behind M-Sport teammate and title leader Sebastien Ogier.