Imagine a fit Phil jones this season….possible Indian summer?
Phil Jones | released summer 2023
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He’d be easier to fecking shift off our books if he could.
If he can play a games here and there and get a decent club himself, I'll r happy for him.
Otoh if he refuses transfers and stays out his contract to leave for free then I get some of the hate he will get.
Though we seriously at this point need to cut off the deadwood from our ranks to create squad spaces and save millions in wages.
Otoh if he refuses transfers and stays out his contract to leave for free then I get some of the hate he will get.
Though we seriously at this point need to cut off the deadwood from our ranks to create squad spaces and save millions in wages.
Here is a strange piece of news - during his 9 years at United (up until this season) - he played a total of 165 league matches - which on average is about 18 matches a season in the league. This may not be that much but still a lot more compared to Rafael who played just 109 league matches in 7 years or an average of 15.5 matches each season.
So Rafael has been a lot more injured than Phil Jones.
So Rafael has been a lot more injured than Phil Jones.
I think we are better off keeping him and see whether he has overcome that injury because Bailly is completely unreliable himself as fourth choice after Lindelof. Its a long way back for him though and there is a greater chance of him getting injured than there is of him getting match fit but I think Ole will give a chance to relaunch his career in this half of the season.
Or he wasn't first choice earlier in his career
That was kind of what i expected in total. But i thought he played most of them in his first couple of years, but the games seems to be evenly spread out over the years. He played 18 games in 18/19.
Rafael had 1 season where he played more than 20 league games (12/13) - despite this, most people think back on Rafael with joy, and hate Jones because he is always injured. When in fact - Rafael was just as injured as Jones was. Maybe treat Jones with a bit more respect.
Certainly agree with the bolded part. I've always said that Jones was a very good player who suffered serious injuries and rushed back / played rusty or injured, and people only remember the recent performances and he doesn't deserve to be mocked.
Rafael was always rotated, not injured. Neville, Brown, O'Shea, Hargreaves, Smalling, Jones, Fabio and Valencia all got games at RB...
He was in the England WC squad in 2018 and when Ole took over Jones was a regular and actually in good form before being given a new contract. He just has rotten luck with injuries.
Not sure if it has already been posted on here:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ite-level-player-and-pilloried-laughing-stock
"....Jones was entitled to a clause in his new deal guaranteeing him a testimonial year after the decade’s service he marked in June. “Apart from my mum and dad, who else would turn up?” he said, upon being asked why he’d turned it down. It was a brutal, self-deprecatory pre-emptive strike from a player who almost certainly knew that if he didn’t poke fun at his refusal to take up the offer, his many detractors almost certainly would...."
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ite-level-player-and-pilloried-laughing-stock
"....Jones was entitled to a clause in his new deal guaranteeing him a testimonial year after the decade’s service he marked in June. “Apart from my mum and dad, who else would turn up?” he said, upon being asked why he’d turned it down. It was a brutal, self-deprecatory pre-emptive strike from a player who almost certainly knew that if he didn’t poke fun at his refusal to take up the offer, his many detractors almost certainly would...."
Obviously not true.
https://www.transfermarkt.com/rafael/verletzungen/spieler/61892
https://www.transfermarkt.com/phil-jones/verletzungen/spieler/117996
Even without counting Jones latest injury which has caused him to miss 75 games and 416 days, Jones has been injured more.
Overall Rafael missed 43 games for us through injury , Jones has missed 129 games NOT counting the aforementioned injury.
That’s pretty sad
That is sad, in nearly a decade at the club I don't think even his biggest critics can accuse him of not giving 100 effort.
Testimonials are generally charity games nowadays so it's a shame, not just for Jones.
I think that was well handled by Jones.
Title of thread should be, The Legend Phil Jones
Good that he came through 30 minutes against Burnley.
Perhaps we can give him 90 minutes in the league cup in a few weeks and see how he goes. Whilst he's here we may as well use him where we can.
Perhaps we can give him 90 minutes in the league cup in a few weeks and see how he goes. Whilst he's here we may as well use him where we can.
So you are basing this solely off League games and excluding cup games?
Are you also assuming every time they missed a league game they were injured?
Not to mention that Van Gaal froze Rafael out early in his last season.
The difference is when Rafael did play he was actually quite good.
Yeah great, nothing to be concerned about - it’s only the mans mental health that is taking a walloping.
Jones has had many excellent performances for this club. The fact that they were some time ago and unlikely to be repeated shouldn't erase this from history.
And if he went ahead with it and the backlash that would cause would be far more damaging to his mental health.Yeah great, nothing to be concerned about - it’s only the mans mental health that is taking a walloping.
The way Jones handled it was perfect, coming out and having a celebration of his career when he is earning millions for not playing, has been injured for 18 months and I think has only played 20 games in a season once in the last 5 years, would not have been a good PR move for him.
I certainly respect his ability to do feck all for near 3 seasons while collecting over 100k every week. Got rafa well beat hands down. Rafa also left ages ago while his stock was still up while Jones is still here wasting a number 4 shirt. Trying to deflect with Rafa cannot save Jones.
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So apparently Mr Rio "insight" Ferdinand reckons we should sell him. No shit ! Where can we find this club that will buy with real money a 100K+ perma injured defender? He won't be able to even pass a medical. We'd have to pay for him to leave. He is an unsellable asset. More accurately a liability.
He should have given up his shirt number to Varane. He is well, well down the pecking order now and getting paid a wage he doesn’t deserve. He should have been prepared to pick up a squad number and been more humble about his current position within the squad.
He has been injured and not played for 18 months not 3 years. Until he is able to play in a competitive game and prove his fitness there are no clubs willing to offer him a contract even if we let him go for free. I can understand the frustration of some supporters but the continued false narrative that this is somehow his fault or something that he wanted is just spiteful and stupid. I am sure he is desperate to get his career back on track and if over the next couple of months he can prove his fitness in the Carabao and with a couple of sub appearances then I am optimistic that there will be clubs willing to take a punt in the January window and I expect he will gladly go somewhere where he can play regularly even if it does mean a steep pay cut.
Somebody would take him on a pay as you play deal. He's a good defender.
His injury record and the fact he pulls 'funny' faces while playing football has essentially rendered him a meme. Which is really unfair.
He was really good when he first came in and I can remember a spell where him and Rojo formed a good partnership under Mourinho in 16/17.
His injury record and the fact he pulls 'funny' faces while playing football has essentially rendered him a meme. Which is really unfair.
He was really good when he first came in and I can remember a spell where him and Rojo formed a good partnership under Mourinho in 16/17.
I am well aware he managed to string together a few appearances in 19/20, but I am deliberately going further back because it was not close to good enough even by his standard. If he manages to be "fit" for 2 months this season and scramble together 5 appearances, it will reset the "last time he played" counter but I think it would be fair to still maintain that he has been useless to us for years.
I don't for one moment think it's his fault. He's done amazingly well for himself to have survived this long, earning so much while offering so little. And the club renewing his contract to protect his value also is not his fault.
Doesn't mean anyone needs to like it or be happy about the situation.
If he leaves it will be a subsidized loan, he wont be giving up his salary with 2 years to go.
Rio has been a bit of a knob there I think.
The pinnacle of club's failure to get rid of the deadwood...
"If I was in the squad with someone like that I wouldn’t talk to them. They are a waste of time, why would I chat to you and give you any energy, taking that away from my other teammates who are here to play and go into battle for 90 minutes every week."
Brutal
I’m not convinced these comments are particularly helpful. We all know that Jones should be done here. I’m willing to bet that so does he. Smacks of kicking a man when he’s down, really.
Rio actually has a point. If you cant perform consistently at the highest level then you need to go where you have a chance to. The EPL is obviously to hard on his accident prone body. I'm sure he is a great dude, but its not about his personality as much as it is his ability to contribute.
Phil actually seems like the kinda guy you could sit and drink a pint with. I bet he has great stories... But his days at United should be done.
Phil actually seems like the kinda guy you could sit and drink a pint with. I bet he has great stories... But his days at United should be done.
Seems a bit harsh I wonder if there is something personal there from their time together
Rio got kicked out by Woodward at United when he went into a decline at age 35 while Jones got rewarded with a new contract despite not playing obviously there is some bitterness from Rio.
I don't think that's rude at all.
You see it in Bruno Fernandes face all the time - he loves playing with the players that have an element of class and can contribute.
Players that struggle with the level expected of United - you can see sometimes barely gets a look or sometimes even a pass to them by Bruno when playing a match.
This is a sport first and a job second, a sport that needs you to win and a sport that gets you payed. It's Jones right to stay here and run down a contract - but it might show you how much the sport actually means to him.
You see it in Bruno Fernandes face all the time - he loves playing with the players that have an element of class and can contribute.
Players that struggle with the level expected of United - you can see sometimes barely gets a look or sometimes even a pass to them by Bruno when playing a match.
This is a sport first and a job second, a sport that needs you to win and a sport that gets you payed. It's Jones right to stay here and run down a contract - but it might show you how much the sport actually means to him.
Rio speaking facts
So he didn't talk to Ole and Saha much then.
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