After a long two-year battle with injury, Jones made his eagerly-awaited return to competitive action against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 3rd January.
Follow Us
The new year started with Phil Jones returning from injury to full fitness for Manchester United. After a long two-year battle with injury, Jones made his eagerly-awaited return to competitive action against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 3rd January. United might have lost that Premier League match 1-0, but Jones was praised for his performance on that day after he lead the backline impressively. He was one of the few positives from an otherwise disappointing outing by Ralf Rangnick’s side. Club captain Harry Maguire is delighted to see his friend Phil Jones fit and back in action for the Old Trafford outfit.
“Of course, when you are playing and you want to be successful, you have got to have competition for places and you have got to have a good squad with depth,” Maguire was quoted by the club’s website. “I think we have all seen Phil coming back from two years’ out and he was outstanding when he played. You know, it made me really happy to see him step back out on the pitch.
“I am good mates with Phil and I have spent a lot of time with him, when he has been injured in the tough, dark days that he has had. When he was back on the pitch, I was obviously in the stand, injured, for that game, but the way he performed, he was the best player for us that day and I am really pleased to see him back out there, because he has worked so hard over these last couple of years. He is now back fit, ready to go and ready to play games.”
READ MORE – Manchester United winger Amad Diallo set to join Rangers on loan
Maguire also stated that the youngsters must be prepared for when opportunities arise and that the senior players will push them to get the best out of them. “Over the last few years, with Mason [for example], I’ve spoken with him a lot. He’s matured a lot off the pitch and you can see that on it, with his performances.”
“The same with Anthony. Sometimes, when you’re a young boy, you can feel like the opportunity to start a game is far away then, all of a sudden, things change and you get your opportunity and you’ve got to be ready to take it.
“Anthony has done that really well and he should be proud of himself and I’m sure his family is really proud. Now it’s a marker and a stepping stone and can he really kick on? He has all the talent in the world to do that.
“Of course, myself and the senior lads will be pushing him and others, and that’s what we want – we want these young players to come in and bring energy and intensity, and help improve us as a squad. We’re all here to win football matches and the better players we have in the squad then the more competition there is and the more opportunities we have to win games.”
Manchester City vs Liverpool: Talking points from the action-packed draw
