Manchester United's Premier League match against Wolves is a game that most people want to forget as soon as possible, but for England centre-back Phil Jones, it is a moment worth remembering. For the first time since January 2020, he wore a Manchester United shirt for the first team, 708 days later. If you only count the Premier League matches, it is 712 days.
Under the watchful eye of The Lord in the stands, Jones lived up to his mission, and although United lost 1-0, the 29-year-old "Flying General" was one of the best performers in the team, completing key interceptions many times. After the game, he was voted the best performer of the game by Manchester United fans, and many considered him to be far better than the £80 million captain Maguire.
The professional data website "WhoScored" also joked that Jones is the player with the highest average rating (7.23) in The Premier League this season. United's team-mates have been pushing for Jones, with De Gea, who joined Manchester United almost at the same time, saying: "It's always so hard to give, it's nice to see you back on the pitch." Left-back Luke Shaw even commented on Jones' comeback on a phenomenal level: "I just want to say one thing, Phil [Jones] should be proud of himself, he has been repeatedly criticized and ridiculed over the years, but his performance is phenomenal." 」
After the game, the broadcast camera captured Jones walking down The Old Trafford stadium, wiping his tears with his hands as he walked, and it turned out that he was already in tears. One of the reasons for the tears may be because Manchester United have lost, but it should be more about being excited about their successful return to the Premier League.
Before entering the players' tunnel, there were Dream Theatre fans who applauded Jones, and he responded with the Manchester United emblem with his right hand pressed on his left chest. In His career, you can laugh at his colorful defensive expressions, his bravery to the point of being close to reckless or his mistakes and oolong balls, but one thing that can never be doubted is that Jones is always 100% desperate on the court. After Jones's comeback, many fans called on other Manchester United teammates to learn from their attitudes.
"I'm going to fight for United until the last minute until someone tells me, 'You go somewhere else.' Jones told The Times. England centre-back, who has been playing for Manchester United for 10 years, had the opportunity to host a commemorative match, but he politely declined because he feared that no spectator would be willing to watch.
For Jones, the poignancy is that despite the gap of 712 days, the two games he played for Manchester United ended in defeat. In January 2020, United lost to Burnley to finish 5th, six points behind 4th in the Premier League. This time, United are in 7th place, five points behind the top four, and have been thrown 22 points away by the leaders Manchester City.
Currently, Jones has a one-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester United until 30 June 2023, with a one-year priority renewal. After a steady play against Wolves, former teammate Leo Ferdinand believes Lonnick should change plans and keep Jones.
Originally, many people thought that Manchester United should purge Jones in January, and the performance against Wolves could just attract buyers for him. However, based on the current situation analysis, Lonnick may not allow the former England international to leave the team, as United need a centre-back at the moment.
Lindlev's COVID-19 positives do not know when to recover, Maguire is injured and in poor form, new signing Varane has been injured twice this season, and Erik Bai has left for Côte d'Ivoire to prepare for the African Cup of Nations for the coming month. Coupled with the fact that United have just leased 19-year-old academy centre-back Teden Mengi, jones' status has been greatly enhanced, and he will be promoted to the team's fourth or even third centre-back in the short term!
Ferdinand said: "For a player who has been away from the field for so long, you have to take off your hat for Jones' performance. Maybe United let him play to "see" the potential buyers, but if he is good enough, the manager may change his mind. In the world of football, this can happen entirely and change rapidly. I'm happy for him, he finished the game safely and didn't get hurt again."
Previously, the British media had reported that Ferdinand believed that Jones stayed in the team and occupied the position of young players, hindering their growth.
In this regard, Ferdinand explained: "It is not easy to be absent for such a long time and have such a good performance, so you have to pay tribute to him. He received a lot of criticism and even misinterpreted my statement, and in any case, you can only say that he did a good job. Although Moutinho's goal came from his header, I think most of the time in the game his level was very high."
United's next game is the FA Cup against Villa, and Jones is likely to start consecutive starts to continue to prove his existence. As for whether he will rent out or transfer permanently before January 31, time will tell, West Ham, Newcastle United and old club Blackburn are all potential underlings, of which Blackburn is currently second in the Championship and has a chance to return to the Premier League.