Manchester United defender Phil Jones is bizarrely still part of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s plans for this season after playing his first football in 19 months in a completed training match this week.
Jones has not played a competitive first-team match since January 2020 when he lined up for United in a 6-0 battle against Tranmere in the FA Cup.
The 29-year-old, who is rumored to have refused to give up his jersey number four for the new recruit Raphael Varane, has been plagued by long-term knee problems and underwent surgery this summer.
Already fighting for fitness in 2019, Jones had been completely unfavorable even before he suffered the knee injury that has kept him away for over a year. His first Premier League appearance in 2019/20 was a dull 45 minutes against Sheffield United in November and his only second was that United were comfortably beaten at home by Burnley in January.
Jones has not started regularly since Solskjær first took over as interim manager at the end of 2018. The former Blackburn prodigy started seven of the first nine Premier League matches in the new regime, where United lost only two points.
However, after returning to training, Jones was involved in United’s training match against Burnley on Tuesday afternoon, which was played behind closed doors at Old Trafford.
The Daily Mail has since reported that it was a 30-minute final run for him and that it will surprisingly be a role for him this season. United have well-stocked midfield options by Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and the aforementioned Varane, but it is said that Solskjær thinks that Jones should be included in that group as a fifth midfielder and add depth and coverage.
Jones is expected to remain part of the Man Utd squad / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
Sunshine seems to have a personal soft spot for Jones, who sympathizes with him as a result of the knee injuries that ruined the later stages of his own career in the mid-2000s.
“It’s disappointing, it’s the worst thing for a footballer,” the United boss said of Jones’ current situation in February this year. “I myself have been hurt and it can take away your faith and your enjoyment.”
There is still a chance that Jones could leave Old Trafford, as 90min understands that a number of Premier League clubs would be interested in taking him on loan or for free; Newcastle, Everton, West Ham and Southampton are among the teams to keep an interest.
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