Phil Jones: I feel like a footballer
FT Desk
- Updated: 9 Jan 2022 16:45 GMT
- 3 min read
Phil Jones has revealed that he “feels like a footballer again” after playing his first Man Utd game in almost two years.
Jones started and finished United’s 1-0 defeat to Wolves earlier this week in his first appearance since January 2020.
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He had previously played no matches this season and he did not make a single appearance in 2020-21.
The central defender had incredibly not played a single minute of football since a defeat to Burnley on January 22, 2020.
That season Jones only played 136 minutes of Premier League football.
The defender has suffered numerous injuries during his time at Man Utd, including 454 days on the sidelines with a knee problem between June 2020 and September 2021.
It had seemed like his Man Utd career was over but after working hard in training, he was granted another chance and he was even applauded by fans after the game in emotional scenes.
What did Phil Jones say?
“All I would say is that any time I represent this club and put the shirt on, I give absolutely everything,” Jones said. “I put my blood, sweat and tears into everything I do for this club.
“I appreciate all the support they (the fans) give me. I’m forever grateful for that. It’s a wonderful, wonderful club to be at and I am grateful.
“I feel like a footballer again and (to) feel the ball at your feet and the rain and the grass, it’s just a great feeling.”
Jones joined Man Utd in 2011 as a teenager for £16.5 million from Blackburn and was immediately hailed as a future captain of England by the media.
But despite making over 200 appearances for the club and winning the Premier League in 2013 he never lived up to that billing and increasingly struggled with form and fitness as the years wore on.
