For the first time since he was only 18,Jones will be watching the Worldcup from home, having not being picked for the English national team. He's still at a good age of 30 now, and he retains hope that his career can take a positive turn and blossom again.
Welcome to the World of English man Phil Jones, who plays for Manchester United. I can't lie, I love his tenacity in defence.
Make no mistake about Jones' quality,only five English players can boast of playing in both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, Jones is one, but these days he is not among England's coach,Gareth Southgate's,options.
THE STORY
It was in 2011, that young Phil Jones joined United as a teenager. Sir Alex Ferguson was the coach then and he so direly wanted Jones. There was competition for the player's signature coming from big clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea,but Ferguson took extra measures to get him from Blackburn Rovers that he invited the player to join him and his family in a holiday retreat in France. It is there that crucial discussion were made and United captured Jones for over £16 million. That's still some large money for a teenage footballer even today.
Ferguson had been attracted to Jones about 18 months earlier whilst he was playing for Blackburn against United's under-18 side(which included a young gem of a player in Paul Pogba) in an FA Youth Cup fifth round tie. Blackburn triumphed over this United team that day. However,some time later Jones made the most defining impression in Sir Ferguson's heart– it was Jones playing in Blackburn's first team against United's senior team. It was a 7–1 humbling by United,but Jones' endeavour is what excited Ferguson. Still only 18 years then, you need to see him screaming and yelling at teammates that were more than 10 years his senior– such fire in his eyes! Let me mention that one of his teammates then was the legendary Michael Salgado,a veteran defender who made his name at Real Madrid, with more than 300 appearances and two Champions league titles with them. Ferguson concluded that if a young boy had this fighting spirit to call a Salgado to order, he has the right mentality for a United dressing room that also had fighters like Roy Kaene,Rio Ferdinand,Ryan Giggs and co.
Ferguson was right. In Jones first season(2011/2012) with United, he amassed a whooping 41 games. The national team couldn't resist him too and in 2011, still only 19, he turned up for England against Spain. So confident was the English coach,Fabio Capello of his abilities, that he played him in the centre of midfield against a Spanish midfield that had legends like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso. England won that match 1-0.
He was a key part of the United team which won the Premier league title the following season. By late 2013 his stock had so risen in United that an injury to his ankle was the hot topic in the build-up to the Champions League round-of-16 2nd leg tie against Real Madrid. He was so fantastic in the 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu,but that injury ruled him out of the 2nd leg at home. United were pipped 2-1 by Madrid-most people wil remember that match for a controversial red card issued to Nani.
Legendary Dutch coach,Luis van Gaal, took over as United manager in 2014, and he was interested in signing the brilliant German defender,Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund,partly due to worries about Jones' fitness– the previous season he had three different injury layoffs. The United medical team swung into action with holistic tests on the player and certified him in peak condition to play and ready for the play the whole season barring any freak injury. So Van Gaal put faith in him and he started the first three Premier league games, but by early September a hamstring strain came calling and he was ruled out for almost a month. On his return to full fitness, he starred for United in a 2-2 draw with West Brom in late October. Here he picked up a shin injury, which ruled him out until mid-December.
More recently, December 2018 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed caretaker manager, Jones started eight of the Norwegian's first 11 games as boss and as usual Jones was impressive.[He also played twice at the 2018 World Cup] It encouraged United to offer him a fresh four-year contract, but since it was signed in February 2019,that old enemy came again– a knee injury happened to him that was only able to play 16 matches and from Feb 2020, he was ruled out for nearly a year. Infact there was a time during the COVID-19 pandemic that he nearly quit football altogether.
THAT'S JUST IT
It's the story of Jones' shocking history of injury woes, that it has even led to so much frustration from fans, that he suffered a lot of online abuses. This has made him not to post to his 2.1 million Twitter followers since May 2017 and he also seized posting to his 1.3 million Instagram followers soon afterward. Worse still, a truly very sad, he has suffered live personal abuse while he has been out with his wife and two young daughters, which took quite some toll on his mental health in the last two years.
Between 2011 and 2019,he made 216 appearances for United, being an average of nearly 30 games a season. He played whatever position was required of him,ofcourse usually at centre-back but also at right-back and in the midfield too.
Such a player that managers over him have delighted in, but injuries just continue to hamper.
Ferguson once predicted that Jones' ability on the ball, physicality and versatility could one day see him stand amongst United's very best players ever.
The erudite Italian, Fabio Capello, England manager,2007–2012, likened him to legendary Italy defender Franco Baresi.
The current coach of England,Gareth Southgate also brings in his commendation– in 2017, he spoke glowingly of Jones' composure on the ball and his reading of a game, his aggressiveness and his leadership abilities. He said the player shows "fantastic experience".
AS IT IS NOW
Today the 30-year-old defence trojan can't play for United in the EPL, because he was not registered with the squad. He could be added in January, but that would require that he proves his fitness first of all. He hasn't been fit enough to start two consecutive games since May 2019. Also his contract with United will run out at the end of this season, though United owns an option to extend his deal for another calendar year.
He has not played since April– when he was surprisingly picked out of the blues by then coach, Ralf Rangnick, for the 4 nil loss to Liverpool at Anfield – he stayed back at Carrington this summer to follow a personal training regime for his fitness, while new manager Erik ten Hag took the squad for preseason. Potential moves away in the summer were paralysed because of his fitness problems and with his return to full fitness quite vague, Ten Hag opted against registering him for the Premier League or Europa League, until the matter is revised in January as said above.
It's possible that Jones has played his last game for the club he joined as a teenager in 2011. Recently, it has been more than two years of injuries and setbacks, that the player had described privately as "hell".
He's been such a managers delight, but each time, it is a run of great performances for the manager and ab injury setback comes in and halts things. It now seems like he will be remembered for the games he missed than those he played.
If he must go he can find solace in the fact that he played over 200 games for United, 27 caps for England and collecting winners' medals in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League– quite frankly that ranks as an enviable career thus far.
Yes, the feeling of what might have been will always hang over his head, but my satisfaction will be to see him mentally fine and still play the game he loves once fitness allows him.
Respects to this player I admire.
Cheers