Manchester United defender Phil Jones has endured a troublesome couple of years at Manchester United. The defender, who is still only 29, has not made a first-team appearance for the club since January 2020.
The cause of his absence has been a serious knee injury, which has kept him out of action for nearly two years now. There is, however, a light at the end of the tunnel. Jones has featured in games for the Reserves and was even on the bench for United’s Carabao Cup tie against West Ham last month. He has also played in behind-closed-doors friendlies.
The former Blackburn has made rare appearances in club media recently but he is usually nowhere to be seen, mostly down to the fact he removed himself from all social media platforms.
The England international has now explained why he decided to do so, insisting it was down to how it affects a player and his or her family.
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“I mean, I stepped away from social media a long time ago but it’s difficult because all your friends read it, your family read it and they support you, they want the best for you,” he is quoted as saying by the official Manchester United website.
“They don’t want to see their mate, their husband, their dad getting slaughtered all over the papers or all over the media, so it’s tough because mentally I was going through a tough time and to read stuff as well.
“I always say that footballers don’t have a voice, your voice comes when you finish playing football and no-one really cares anymore.
“So, it’s difficult but it’s something I’ve learned to deal with, especially over the time I’ve been at United and the more experience you get, the older you get, the better you learn to deal with those things.
“I suppose for young players coming into the game now, not just at Man United, but all over the world, it’s a very hostile, toxic place to come into and they’ve got to be able to deal with that mentally as well as physically.”
