I’ve been tipped to become Manchester United’s greatest player and I’ve been mocked – now I want to get on with it

“Jones, probably the way he looks, could be our best player,” said Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United signed Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers in a £17m deal in 2011 and Ferguson was delighted to sign one of England’s brightest young prospects.

Throughout his reign at Manchester, Ferguson signed the best emerging talent from United’s domestic rivals and Jones was identified as someone with vast potential.

“He’s going to be a phenomenal player. I think he can play anywhere on the pitch,” added Ferguson. “He’s such a massive influence with his instincts and reading the game.”

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Ferguson was adamant about Jones – but his prediction was not met. Jones enjoyed a career that most would be jealous of, winning the Premier League and spending 12 years with United, however, he will not be remembered among the greatest players to have represented the club.

However, Jones’ playing career has been fascinating – it’s a story of success, failure, injury and mental toughness – and now he’s eyeing a transition into management.

Jones left United on a free transfer last summer. He did not officially announce his retirement from the game, but was welcomed back to Carrington in the autumn to attend academy training while he considered his next steps and eventually coached with the Under-18s.

It is understood Jones was not employed by United last season – it was an informal coaching role – but studied for his A license and badges with the help of the club.

“It’s been great with Phil, he’s with us every week,” U18 boss Adam Lawrence said in an interview Manchester Evening News during the season. “He spends time with the Under-14s and Under-18s, so he can experience the different age groups of the academy.

“But for us, he’s been great. He’s obviously from the club in terms of his background and what he’s done here and I think just as well for the players, not just to learn from him in terms of areas of the game and his knowledge. , but also some of the things off the field and what they go through – whether it’s team selection, how you prepare for games, diet, nutrition.

“I’ve really appreciated him being involved in the program and he’s added real value in a different way. I hope we’ve given him the opportunity to start coaching on the field with the players. I know he’s been of tremendous value and I’ll continue to do that too.”

The U18s enjoyed a stunning season, claiming a treble and winning two of those trophies at the expense of Manchester City, and Jones thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of coaching.

Jones recently spoke to Ladbrokes and said: “I’ve matured as the years have gone by and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done since retirement. You know if I get my A in coaching I’ve enjoyed being involved, I’ve helped with the U18s at United this year.

“It’s been brilliant for me. I really want to get back there and make my own way for the next stage of my career. I definitely have my own aspirations to get into management. I’ve played under some incredible managers who they have given me so much knowledge and I have learned so much from each of them.It is an experience you cannot buy.

“I like working with players, working with young people, being on the pitch, in the team and around the team. I will be applying for my professional license in the next few weeks, which I hope to be able to do soon.

“I also did a sports driving course through the PFA which was really good. It gave me the chance to work with people I wouldn’t normally meet.

“I stepped out of my comfort zone with this; I haven’t done modules and exams since I was in high school so it was an eye opener for me – but I enjoyed doing it.

“It’s fascinating to learn about the other side of the game. It’s something you get an idea of ​​as a player, but I learned a lot more, in more detail, on this course, and maybe that’s a way I could do it. I like to explore in the future.

“I definitely want to go into management in the next few years, for sure. I don’t think getting into management too early is the right thing to do; I think progression has to happen but I would love to work at a club as an assistant or first team coach and I certainly feel I have something to offer in terms of helping teams and individual players.”

Jones has found purpose since leaving United but has struggled mentally for much of his playing career, which has been blighted by a catalog of injuries.

United handed Jones a four-year contract extension in February 2019 and made a further 21 appearances before leaving on a free transfer when that deal expired. By that stage, fans believed Jones had outstayed his welcome and wanted him off the books.

Jones has been criticized during his rehab stints and has faced backlash in real life, but felt compelled to speak out in September 2021 when former teammate Rio Ferdinand said on a podcast that it was a “waste of time” that ” takes on a youth”. the player’s position’.

In an interview with The Times, Jones said: “Listen, the respect I have is enormous. I shared a dressing room with Rio – a great professional. I loved playing with him.

“Great guy, good humor. I learned so much from him, but what he said was poor. Really poor. I’m not in arguments, not in arguments and if he didn’t know, he didn’t know…”

Jones had been battling severe damage to the lateral meniscus of his right knee. The problem first arose when he was a Blackburn academy player and flared up at the start of his second season with United. He needed surgery and had his meniscus removed.

He let bone grind against bone inside his knee. “I would get bloated after working out. You’d drop a ball and any resistance against the knee was just agony. The simplest nudge, Jones said.

“For years I’ve gone to games thinking, ‘I really shouldn’t be playing,’ and the players would look at me and see the swelling and think, ‘Is he playing here?’ But I love playing and I will do anything for United. If I have to play at 60% and I know I can get through it, then why not?”

Jones also discussed an incident on the streets of Hale – he was with his two young daughters – when a man approached him and said: “Hey Phil… You’re a bastard. You’re a bastard!”

“I had so many emotions: anger, calm down, confront him, what do I say to my wife? I froze,” he said. “Finally, another guy walking by said, ‘Phil, come on. Hey, you’re better than that.

“In this society we live in, all the racism and stuff that affects mental health – I would just say be careful. You don’t know how it will affect the players: physically, mentally, emotionally.

“We always come back to the same point: ‘Oh, they’re footballers, they should be able to cope, they get so much money, they have this lavish lifestyle.’

“But take all of that away, strip all of that away and we’re just human beings. Listen, my problems are no bigger than the problems that someone in an office has to deal with, I know that. But there are problems. Footballers have problems. like anybody someone else, and maybe me talking can help the players.”

A few months after that interview and before his final season with United Jones spoke again. “I’m 100% lucky to have played two World Cups, gone through the Euros and had some fantastic times at Old Trafford with some amazing players. Of course people say, “You should have done that, you could have done that, blah blah.” But I feel so lucky,” he told The Guardian.

He added on whether the early praise and hype caused him to fail: “I don’t think it became problematic for me, but it probably became questionable for people on the outside.

“But I never took the highs (for granted) because I knew the lows were just around the corner. You can be as high as a kite one minute in football and the next day you’re lower than a snake’s belly. “

Jones did everything he could to get back in shape. “We did our best,” he said. “From tablets to my diet to setting up my house so that every time I come back from training I’m in recovery boots and have the ice machine ready. No one can say I haven’t done enough.”

He added in his recent interview with Ladbrokes: “People talk about how ‘injuries’ have affected my career when in reality there’s only been one injury I’ve ever had and that was my knee.

“That was the downfall of the last leg of my career, but it wasn’t like I had hamstrings, quads, calves, little tears here and there. I think I’ve only had one muscle injury in my entire career – one or two – which is incredible when you think about it.

“It’s just that my knee was causing me so much trouble and pain. It was hard to get over. You know, mentally it was really hard. There’s not much I can say about it, to be honest.

“And for my family, for my friends it was hard. Knowing what I was going through, that something I just loved to do was taken away from me, it was hard to deal with.

“I loved playing football. I loved being around the team. I loved the banter around the dressing room. I loved everything about him and I still do. So to have that broken because of an injury, it was hard but I can handle it now with great memories.

“It’s not something you can do, really, when you’re in it or when the first injury happens. But now I can look back on my career with some very fond memories. You remember everything you’ve done and achieved, and so much you realize you’ve forgotten.

“I think how far I’ve come, from when I was little, playing at Blackburn, trying to get a contract, getting into the first team; when I think about where I came from to where I have arrived.

“It’s been an incredible journey. Obviously it’s affected by all sorts of external factors, but listen, that’s part of football. You know, you live and you learn.”

Jones bumped into Ferguson a few years ago and was touched by the trade, which gave him a boost when he needed it most. “He was just incredible to me,” he said.

“I went to the premiere of his film with a few players and he came over, we shook hands and then out of the blue he said: ‘Hey, you were great against Real Madrid away (in 2013).’ ). F***** Ronaldo’s scoring.’

“It gave me so much confidence. To be honest, I didn’t even watch his premiere, I was just sitting there thinking about his comment, thinking, “He remembers that…someone his size remembers that.”

Jones has not become United’s greatest player, but he still commands affection from Ferguson.

He will use every bit of experience – good and bad – in his coaching career.