Revealed: Man Utd player 'kicked out' the dressing room to make way for new stars
FT Desk
- Updated: 5 Sept 2022 09:43 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United defender Phil Jones is no longer in the club’s senior changing room, as he’s had to vacate in order to make way for new signings.
The club’s first-team dressing room at the AON Training Complex can only host 24 players, and is full to the brim after an array of new signings by manager Erik ten Hag.
As a result, some of the club’s older players, or those less involved in the first-team set-up, have had to make way for new ones in the dressing room.
Jones is one of the players that has had to make way, and he is now at the under-23 changing room, with a few other names joining him there.
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Left-back Brandon Williams has also made his way there, as have defenders Teden Mengi and Axel Tuanzebe and up-and-coming midfielder Shola Shortire.
Manchester United signed six players over the summer: Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Martin Dubravka, reducing spaces in the team.
Jones has been at Manchester United since 2011, but has rarely featured in recent years, largely due to injury concerns, and has only made 13 matches in the last four seasons.
Jones at the back post 🤩#EmiratesFACup #TRAMUN pic.twitter.com/g5A8n2rVwP
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 26, 2020
The defender is in the final year of his contract, which he agreed to in 2019, but has the option to extend it for a further year, which is unlikely to be taken up.
Manchester United were eager to let go of the player this summer, and have come to terms that they won’t receive any transfer fee for him, but the player suffered another injury problem, ruling out a transfer.
Upon joining from Blackburn Rovers 11 years ago, Jones was touted as one of the brightest prospects in English football, with Alex Ferguson saying he had the potential to be the club’s greatest player.
Injury issues have blighted his time at Manchester United and greatly hampered his career, after a promising start to life at Old Trafford.
