Manchester United have confirmed Phil Jones will leave the club this summer. Jones’ contract will run down at the end of the season and, as expected, the centre back will depart Old Trafford after an injury-hit 12 years.
The defender joined United from Blackburn and won the Premier League in 2012-13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final campaign in charge. He has made 229 appearances for United, scoring six goals, and has been capped 27 times by England.
Speaking after his exit was officially confirmed, Jones, 31, opened up on his efforts to return to the first-team and thanked the supporters for their ‘incredible’ reaction. Jones told United’s club media: ‘It’s been very difficult, the last couple of years. There’s no denying that. There is no hiding away from that.
His final appearance for United came in a 3-0 victory over Brentford at the end of last season, with his hopes of featuring this year dashed by fitness issues. He will depart after winning one league title, the FA Cup and the Europa League.
‘My family have been absolutely instrumental in keeping me on the straight and narrow and keeping me focused, to try to get fit and try to play more.‘And, you know, I’ve missed playing football. I missed it. You grow up playing football and all you want to do is play football.
‘I think the highlight for me would have to be the Wolves game [his return from injury last season], when I came back. That was just a moment that I’ll never forget. ‘It gives me goosebumps now, thinking about it. I mean I worked so, so hard to get to that stage of fitness.
‘It’s all I’ve known, from such a young age, is to do what you love doing for a living. I’ve been fortunate enough to do that, albeit not as much as I would have liked.’ He then added: ‘I’ve worked tirelessly hard. I literally left no stone unturned. I tried to get back as quick as I could, every time I was out in the last couple of years.
‘That was a huge, huge moment in my career and the fans, that day, were incredible. The love that they showed me for that game, the passion that they showed, was sensational. And I can’t thank them enough for that.‘They’ve been a constant support throughout my time here.’ Jones plans to take time away from the game before weighing up his next steps.
