This is true. But it does feel weird to have so many ‘wrong’ numbers. It seems nailed on that Cavani leaves next summer and Sancho will take 7. Bruno supposedly has his eye on 8 when Mata leaves and I imagine Varane will take 4 if we shift Jones.
Poor guy as well. Must be difficult enough with a long term injury, and being a figure of fun despite actually being a very talented / highly rated player before. But let's strip him of his squad number, because Varane *needs* it.
They are to some players, so it's a valid question!
What an idiotic comment.
Seriously? I reckon Phil’s in a bad place right now, a figure of absolute ridicule all over the internet and amongst his own fans, a player who can’t seem to get a break with injuries, he certainly can’t be feeling great.
But couldn’t it be an additional motivation for Jones to move elsewhere? Anything that helps getting rid of Jones is worth doing, given he doesn’t quit himself
Because that’s the problem. We can’t find a club who wants to sign Jones because he’s so attached to his shirt number at United.
Tell me this post is ironic? Or have modern football fans really lost the plot so completely?
Not sure if he's just keeping the number until a lower one becomes available or if it holds meaning to him, but it's also the number he had when he debuted at Real Madrid.
That makes sense then. Thank you.
Strip him off a number, don’t register him for any competitions and ban him from visiting first team training facilities. Maybe it would help him understand where things stand…
And get sued for breach of contract nevermind acting as horrible employers to human beings.
Sued for what? If salary is being timely paid, what would be the reasons?
I am glad you're not managing the club
.Contract buyouts are a thing in North America when a club both cannot trade/transfer a player away (because of a bloated contract) and yet want to get rid of that player out of the squad at all costs. Sure a specific percentage of what is left on wages to the contract is paid to the player according to CBA rules, so you can't get sued with that. I don't know if that is legal in Europe, but it's very much legal in all sports leagues in North America.
Not an expert either, but don't think buyouts work without the players consent here. Either way, it's a shitty way to treat a loyal human being who happens to be very prone to injuries. Not his fault he gets offered contract after contract.
I was just cutting because of your post. I definitely think he's not feeling amazing about himself and I've got sympathy for him, and he's not worthy of ridicule. However, when a bigger player comes in to effectively take your place (in this case, take the place of the one who takes the place of the one who takes his place) I think it's absolutely fine and not huge embarrassment that you surrender your shirt number. It's happened a million times before between players closer in quality. If he's allowed his #4 without playing, I see that more as pity and not as sympathy. Or sympathy porn if you like.
How often has it happened with a player who’s had that squad number for 10 years?
This is what I mean by sympathy porn "only ever tried his best". I've not implied that he hasn't. He's had a nightmare with injuries and besides that he's not good enough. He's earning more at United than he could dream of elsewhere. That he can finish out the next two years of contract here is winning the lottery. He's likely been offered moves by the club and said no thanks. I mean, he's nowhere near to being in even a slight favour.
And we’re back to my original point.
welcome to Manchester Varane. I am sure you will get used to itNice way to treat a player that's been at the club for 10 years.
This assumption about Jones by a section of the fanbase I can never seem to understand. There has been no indication in his entire career that Jones slacks off at work or is picking up a paycheck while intentionally wasting time not keeping fit (a player like Anderson comes to mind). When fit, he always gives 100%.
Yeah, I think you are way too high and mighty about this. I don't really care what SAF would have done in the exact same situation. You make it seem as if the club that is already paying Phil Jones more than he could possibly earn anywhere else on the planet, should be tasked with figuring out ways to minimise some meme-ification of Jones in order to protect his mental health. Now, if you were talking about sending him to a psychotherapist (on the hypothetical basis that he needs and wants one) I'm with you. Always. But to make sure his feelings aren't hurt over his shirt number, because he's already not turned out to be a great player for us and is always injured, that's just extreme preciousness and seems like something the lip-service-to-right-side-of-history Guardian editors would concoct in their soulless meetings.
Not 88 though. He’s not a neo Nazi….I hope.This whole Varane thing is becoming a joke, for more than a month we couldnt tie him oown for various reasons and now finally about this shirt number.....so bad..
|Even i dont like to disrespect Jones by taking away 4 but i think Varane can handle taking any other availbalble number even it is 44 or 88///doesnt matter
No contract signed , no short number , not registered for Leeds match and struck in Manchester traffic
Give me some examples of it happening after 10 years of service. Anywhere?
I am not going to do that research. And frankly, you'd have to caveat that research with it being a player who is very likely being shopped around with no takers (or the player being unwilling to move). I've already laid out my opinion on the matter.
A player who hasn't done jack in half of those 10 years. I'm done with whatever sympathy BS one can throw at him; he is no longer earning it at all.
Danny Welbeck was his favourite player growing up.
Yeah because it's his fault he can't stay fit and should be punished.
You can go look up interviews or ask anyone who's been at United and they all speak highly of Jones. It's unfortunate how his career has panned out. I hope things work out for him.
