Erik ten Hag provides update on Phil Jones’ Manchester United’s situation
Erik ten Hag acknowledges that Phil Jones has not completed a single training session since he took over as manager of Manchester United in May.
Manchester United is expected to release Jones, 30, when his contract expires in the summer, as he has only started two games in the last three seasons.
The center-back is rarely seen at United’s Carrington training facility, where he was last seen in October waiting in the reception area for a meeting.
Jones recovered from a chronic knee injury to be available for the majority of last season, but it appears he will not play for United in what will likely be his last season with the club.
“No, it’s not been taken until now,” Ten Hag said of Jones’s contract situation. “The decision about that is for the summer, but for the whole season he’s injured.
“I can’t say (if Jones will play again this season). What I can say is that he’s not available for training since the first day of training this season so I think there’s not an opportunity for you to recover quickly and be available quickly.”
United have the option to extend Jones’s contract by one year, but due to his injury history, they are highly unlikely to do so.
Jones missed the entire 2020-21 season and made his first appearance in nearly two years in January 2020, a 1-0 home loss to Wolves.
The former England international made his only other start in April’s 4-0 defeat at Liverpool, where he was replaced at halftime.
Since February 2019, when Jones signed a four-and-a-half-year contract, he has started 16 games and played 90 minutes 12 times.
Erik ten Hag provides update on Phil Jones’ Manchester United’s situation
