Will Fergie's declaration Phil Jones will be the best player in the club's history come true?

[Thiagoal]

I think the Phil Jones bating is a little unfair! He rarely is getting minutes so of course he’ll look rusty when he plays! He gives his all when he wears the shirt and that’s all you can ask on an individual level! The injuries aren’t his fault too

The real calamity is the fact our executive team seem to think handing him new contracts is a good idea as in reality he’s a bottom half standard player

 

[Hughie77]

He makes more mistakes than any other defensive player, if the ball lands on his head he's great, otherwise he's in trouble, a mediocre forward runs him ragged, a very good one, destroys him, I realy thought In the SHU game he was going to be played as a defensive CM,! Not in a 3 at the back, he was realy exposed.

That I don't think it was his fault, oles known him for a long time surely he must have known he wasn't up to it, dragged off at Half time says it all. He has to go in January anywhere. Tuenazabe needs to take his squad place.

 

[Foxbatt]

Fergie talks through his arse sometimes.

 

[Rood]

Jones is a comedy show but he was actually an outstanding talent when he first arrived - now he's a physical wreck and it's amazing he's still going !

Went to the last WC with the England squad ahead of renaissance man Smalling

 

[Acole9]

He's the best player in the clubs history for doing the front crawl .

 

[Cutch]

I actually do feel sorry for him. Im not sure he’s ever had a run of 15-20 games in his whole career without getting injured and he’s always horrible when he hasn’t played in a while. His career just hasn’t materialised as it should have done. Too brave for his own good too unfortunately

 

[Nickelodeon]

He's a classic case of a player who will start doing well once he moves away. There have been enough examples that he can be a decent (even if unspectacular) CB. For his own sake, he should seek a move away. As it is, we normally sell players at a pittance so he represents a relatively low cost gamble for a West Ham or an Everton.

As for the best player in a generation, that ship has sailed really really far.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Fergie made that comment not long after Jones played Cristiano Ronaldo off the park in a Champions League quarter final. CR7 was completely invisible all game at the height of his powers. Jones was playing as a defensive midfielder.

That is not true. He made it after we won the title vs Villa.

 

[Lay]

Can’t believe he’s still here. Never had a good season for us. Saying that, I quite liked him at right back.

 

[reddevil80]

Ha ha ha, just read the question. "Best player?" Good one Sir

 

[Neil_Buchanan]

It was such a bizarre comment even without the gift of hindsight. Phil Jones was never going to become a footballing great, he was a young player with high potential who didn't need this extra motivation/pressure from Fergie. He wasn't some meek young kid lacking belief in himself.

 

[MoskvaRed]

I don’t know who would take Jones off us. While he never fulfilled the early promise, at least until 18 months ago he would put in some decent performances to remind you that he had a great future behind him. Now, for a 27 year old, he looks physically shot - lacking pace and with dreadful balance - which in turn makes him even less composed. For those reasons, I doubt he can turn it around in a less pressurised environment like Evans did.

 

[Robertd0803]

That is not true. He made it after we won the title vs Villa.

I thought he made the comment after he scored the winner at Villa Park in a 1-0 win where he played central midfield.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

I actually think the Phil Jones trajectory will be steeper than many suspect. He'll join like some lower tier PL side next, someone like a Watford, but he'll be quickly identified as the injury-prone liability he is and will last less than two seasons.

I see him playing in the Championship by 2022.

 

[Big Andy]

I must admit, it does look unlikely doesn't it.

But, as Ole says Phil Jones "has been here for so long" it would be weird for him to leave. He gets the club.

I get the club too, but you wouldn’t want me starting at centre back either

 

[Irwin99]

I thought he made the comment after he scored the winner at Villa Park in a 1-0 win where he played central midfield.

I thought it was after the City game where we lost 2-1 at home in SAFs last season. A strange time to make that comment but I was sure it happened after that game.

He man marked Fellaini and Ronaldo in games in midfield that year in his second season and did well . That was probably his last good season and that was over 7 years ago.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

I get the club too, but you wouldn’t want me starting at centre back either

Same here, it was sarcasm.

 

[mitchmouse]

Yes... andI I'll be the tory candidate for Outer Mongolia

 

[Isotope]

He’s the less fit Titus Bramble, which is still better than Zidane.

 

[el3mel]

I burst out laughing at the question in the title.

 

[Stadjer]

Well.... not at football. Maybe he is really good at darts and is he the best darts player in club history?

 

[fps]

He’s just not a winner. He was the kind of player where a commentator would say “one of the better performers in a crushing loss for the side was Phil Jones”. Although you couldn’t even say that for him now.

Ease him out to pasture at Everton....

 

[redshaw]

Fergie meant in the prone position, he's not wrong.

 

[LoneStar]

In an article about him in the Athletic, he mentioned he did not exercise his option for a testimonial during his contract negotiation(which he was offered). He (maybe jokingly?) said that 'only his mum and dad would attend'. Sad situation for anyone.

 

[Florida Man]

Phil Jones may ultimately fail, most managers do. Many players at United since Ferguson has. But what if… what if he didn’t? What if the unlikely defender managed to bring some of that glory at some point down the road?

 

[Sky1981]

Jones, Young and Smalling were from the era when Fergy & Gill were looking for "value in the market". Bang average players. The rot set in when CR7 was sold. Our signings since then have been poor. Only DDG , (RVP for one year and we still should have bought Lewandowski instead) has proved to be a top signing, maybe Martial and the three in the summer look good. Ten bad years.

I can see the similarity with Duncan Edwards. Jones would have been a good player in the 50s when the ball weighed a ton, the pitches were like ploughed fields and the overall standard of the English First division was poor. He was a classic "he played well against us" Fergy signing. He's an accident waiting to happen - like yesterday's shambolic first goal, although it was a foul - I doubt we'll see him play for us again in the Prem.

Jones and smailing werent bought for peanuts back then

 

[Sky1981]

Phil Jones may ultimately fail, most managers do. Many players at United since Ferguson has. But what if… what if he didn’t? What if the unlikely defender managed to bring some of that glory at some point down the road?

There's a what if i somehow ended up with scarlett Johansson. Just saying

 

[tenpoless]

Phil Jones may ultimately fail, most managers do. Many players at United since Ferguson has. But what if… what if he didn’t? What if the unlikely defender managed to bring some of that glory at some point down the road?

Loan him to Roma, They seem to know how to make furniture out of deadwoods. The Italian IKEA.

If They succeed, take him home.

 

[Lay]

Capello compared him to Baresi. These managers must have seen some godly talent somewhere but fecking hell

 

[mitchmouse]

just seen a great quote supposedly from Jones re a testimonial. He says "what's the point, other than my mum and dad, no one else will turn up." at least he has a sense of humour if not one on how to defend...

 

[tenpoless]

He's been crap but He's done it. He was the best player in clubs history in this very moment. He crawled faster than Giroud running.

 

[Ainu]

Best crawling head tackler in the club's history. Not the outright best head tackler though, that award goes to Vidic.

 

[GenZRed]

The way I interpreted what SAF said in 2013 was that Phil Jones was in similar player to Edwards in that he can play in a number of positions, not that he is 'as good as' Edwards in terms of footballing ability.

Yes SAF did think highly of Phil Jones back in 2013 and regarded him as having the potential to be a world class player. I don't think he meant Jones would be United's 'best ever' player.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

You seen the Gossip thread? Apparently, Jones has declined testimonial talk as he said "apart from mum and dad, who would come?"

Dunno how true that is but its quite sad. He seems a lovely bloke so I feel for him a bit there. But if he genuinely feels so unwanted, why not ask to leave?

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

Remember when Fergie let Pique go because we had Jonny Evans.

Even the greats make mistakes...

 

[predator]

That's pretty sad to hear actually. It must take its toll being a footballer who constantly gets stick from fans, especially his own teams fans.
I'm not his biggest fan as a footballer but he does give his all and the managers have all kept him.
He has done very well in his career and has achieved what 99% of the male population haven't.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

That's pretty sad to hear actually. It must take its toll being a footballer who constantly gets stick from fans, especially his own teams fans.
I'm not his biggest fan as a footballer but he does give his all and the managers have all kept him.
He has done very well in his career and has achieved what 99% of the male population haven't.

I think his longevity at our club is more that no one else wants him. That said, I can't really explain the last contract extension. Protecting his value some say. I'm not sure he has a lot of value. Not his fault he isn't good enough, and he does give his all. I'd just rather he did it elsewhere.

 

[MoskvaRed]

I agree with posters above that it is quite sad. While I don’t think he is good enough, Phil Jones does get more than his fair share of cyber bullying and I hope he does not take it personally. He should leave United for a smaller NW team like Preston or Blackburn and enjoy his football.

 

[balaks]

To be fair he has probably been the one player that I have enjoyed watching most playing for Utd for all the wrong reasons. That has gotta count for something?

 

[buckooo1978]

I'd most definitely be sending him on a loan asap

he looks a shadow of the half decent defender he has been in the past. It wasnt too long ago you would put Smalling and Jones in the same category in terms of class of player.

I think he needs to step out of the United situation and at a smaller club... a Newcastle or something or perhaps even a move abroad you might see him re-emerge as a half decent player