Injury-cursed Phil Jones to Leave Manchester United After 12 Years at Old Trafford

Injury-plagued defender Phil Jones will leave Manchester United at the end of the season after 12 years with the Old Trafford club.

United announced on Friday Jones’ troubled time in Manchester will end when his contract expires in June.

The defender joined United from Blackburn Rovers in 2011 and was part of Alex Ferguson’s last league title-winning team. But he has only made five appearances in the past three seasons and never fulfilled the potential many believed he had.

The 31-year-old, who joined from Blackburn in 2011, played 229 times, scoring six goals for United and helping them win one Premier League title, an FA Cup and the Europa League.

He has suffered a catalogue of injuries during his time at United and has struggled to overcome a long-term knee problem.

Jones, who is yet to decide whether he will carry on playing, wrote on Twitter: “It’s not a time to be sad. It’s a time to look back, for me and my family, and be happy that I managed to live a dream at United.

“I can always say to my family and friends that not many people get to play for this club, to always be in its history and to be able to look back with such happy memories."

Jones has not played in over a year and managed only 13 appearances since the start of the 2019-20 season.

“I wish I could have played more. I wish I could have given more to the many squads I played alongside," he said.

“I will say, from the bottom of my heart, I did everything I could. I’ve said before that I found it hard to even speak to my team-mates because I was hurt that I couldn’t help them.

“Sometimes, in life, things happen that we don’t like, but we have to learn to accept it and be at peace in our minds that we did everything we could to overcome the challenges."

Jones last played for United last season, in a 3-0 Premier League win over Brentford in May 2022. He has made 229 appearances for United since joining from Blackburn Rovers in 2011 and also has 27 caps for England.

(With inputs from Agencies)