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Phil Jones was determined to push his way into Erik ten Hag’s plans in 2022, but injury issues brought his career to a disappointing close.
The Englishman joined Manchester United from Blackburn Rovers in 2011. Sir Alex Ferguson had high hopes for Jones, but injury issues slowly made him a fringe player at Old Trafford.
In particular, his time under interim manager Ralf Rangnick proved to be frustrating.
In a recent interview, the 32-year-old revealed that the German’s decision to hook him off at the break against Liverpool “humiliated” him and that was the only time in his career that he “lost it” in the dressing room.
Rangnick was eventually replaced by Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2022. Heading into the new season, Jones was keen on leaving a positive impression on the new manager and get his career back on track swiftly.
“I came back, first day, really excited, Erik ten Hag had come in. Fresh start. You’re out on the grass. Boots back on,” Jones recalled on the High Performance podcast (via Express).
However, in his first training session he realised he was not able to pass the ball with his right foot due to a knee issue.
“I played with my left throughout the whole session but I remember I just turned and sprinted and I just felt it [my knee]. I couldn’t carry on,” he added.
“I came over the physio and my words were, ‘This is my last training session’. And to this day it was my last training session. I was done.”
Jones never managed to make any appearance under Ten Hag and eventually left United at the end of the 2022-23 season. His last of 229 appearances for the Red Devils came in a 3-0 win over Brentford in May 2022.
Earlier this year, Jones announced his retirement as a player, revealing his desire to get into management.
Recently, the former United centre-back shared his disappointment over the sale of Scott McTominay, insisting “it is a huge loss” for the team to see the midfielder depart for Napoli.
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