Phil Jones Future | Reports: Observing United academy sessions

Status
Not open for further replies.
The abuse he gets is well out of order but I do think there's this weird narrative that he looked like an absolute world beater before the injuries. He had great potential true, but I honestly think people forget just how error prone he was/could be. There was a very good chance that even without the injuries he would never have fulfilled his potential because he just didn't seem a very smart defender.

Hope he resurrects his career somewhere else and I wish him well.

Being 19/20 having great games as a full back, center back and box to box/Dm for Manchester United is no joke. It's not like he was a world beater but had he not suffered from injuries, by the time he was in his mid to late 20's it wouldn't be so shocking to see him included in a hand full of world class players.

Fergie definitely didn't get it wrong with Jones but injuries got the best of him
 
Being 19/20 having great games as a full back, center back and box to box/Dm for Manchester United is no joke. It's not like he was a world beater but had he not suffered from injuries, by the time he was in his mid to late 20's it wouldn't be so shocking to see him included in a hand full of world class players.

Fergie definitely didn't get it wrong with Jones but injuries got the best of him
He did have great potential but I don't think we saw him deliver on it as much as some make out, aside from his first season. In his second season i remember him having very good games in midfield against Ronaldo and Fellani but some of his defending left a lot to be desired (see Sir Alex's last ever home game, Swansea, 2-1 for instance). He just always had a mistake in him and I think he was a very clumsy defender. Maybe with time and patience he could have settled into the team and become a great player but i don't think it was ever a sure thing, even without the injuries.

I've never liked the abuse he's got and it's not his fault he's injured all the time though. Far more blame should be attached to the club for offering him so many new deals.
 
Does anyone actually discuss his future in the thread or just keep going over old ground?
 
He was a very good player. Injuries ruined him. If you lot all know more than Fergie then well….
He was a player with huge potential when he was a youngster he never reached that potential due to injuries or whatever.

Let's not rewrite history even when he was playing he wasn't great he always had those shit the bed moments.

We don't know more than Fergie obviously but it's clear he got it wrong with him.
 
Does anyone actually discuss his future in the thread or just keep going over old ground?
What's to discuss about his future though? It's clear he doesn't have one here. He'll be let go once his deal expires, he's played a grand total of 9 games and 500 minutes in the last 4 seasons.

I don't think he'll even get a chance in the premier league again, maybe he'll get a chance in another league or the championship. A newly promoted team maybe? Or maybe he'll retire.
 
Players at age 18 are judged differently to players at age 25 or at age 30. You expect them to become more mature, less rash and to develop his scanning abilities and leadership skills. Jones was very promising at his age but he never developed that maturity needed. I dare to say that this lack of immaturity played a part of why he's so injury prone. Smalling and him was also unlucky that football changed at a crucial part of their career progression which meant that they became obsolete in their mid 20s.
 
Last edited:
He was a very decent player up until his injury problems saw him sidelined for months at a time, and a player who spends that much time off the pitch can't really be expected to just excel the moment he returns. Then his injuries became more and more frequent to the point where it was wildly unrealistic to expect him to play well at all. It's daft to call him a "bad player," nobody can perform when they spend 75% of the season injured (or, as it has seemed lately, 100%).
 
Fletcher used to look skinny too when he was having medical issues but he looks good now.
I think both him and the club should move on, I think he can get a decent job as a pundit.
 
When he turned up doing that pitchside interview in the middle of one of our games, with not even a hint he's a current United player you knew it was well done.
 
Out as injured?
Unfortunately so, not trained all season. I thought when he played last year and got the MOTM there was a chance of a comeback but seemingly a last hurrah. The latest reports I have read are that he is out injured and not trained, not involved in the dressing room - nothing. He appeared on Sky during the Carling Cup final and looked very slim. Not in a bad way necessarily but lacking the muscle he had. He won't play for United again, and I'd be surprised if he doesn't retire at the end of the season in all honesty
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rood
It's been known for a while that he's not coming back. Right now he's doing his badges and getting rehab so he'll have some kind of quality of life when he retires. His knee is damaged well beyond the point where he can play football again, the club are quietly just fulfilling their duty of care to him and helping him transition to some kind of coaching role.
 
Who would've thougth ten years ago that he'd have the career he's had. Sad considering he looked mint when he first arrived.
 
You'd think he'd retire in the summer or drop down a few leagues where it's less intense and do a bit of coaching on the side. Really hope he has a better non playing career than he's had playing career. Feel for the bloke to be honest.
 
“Suffered an injury on the first day” is the most Phil Jones thing I’ve ever read.
 
Full quote.

Jones, 31, played five times in the second half of last campaign under Ralf Rangnick, acquitting himself well, and spent his holidays doing physical work to get in the best shape possible for pre-season under a new manager. But he suffered a relapse of his long-standing knee issue on the first day of training with his team-mates, which caused him serious distress, according to one source close to the squad, who will remain anonymous to protect relationships. Much to his deep frustration, he has been unable to get fit since.

Jones has tried various specialists over the years, undergoing a procedure in 2020 that appeared to have helped, but the problem has persisted. He was not named in United’s squad for Premier League or Europa League competitions this season.

His contract expires at the end of the season and although United have the option to extend, they are not expected to do so.
 
Sad that Phil Jones`s career is ravaged by injuries. He always gave everything on the pitch.

But anyone with half a brain knew that giving him that contract extension was a horrible decision. Woodward and Glazers lack that clearly.
 
I know he's been the butt of the joke for some but behind it all there's someone who's career has been ruined by injuries. The mental frustration must be tough for him. I hope he can go on to do something that he enjoys.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.