MX23RW : Saturday, November 9 02:13:13| >> :120:14350:14350:

Phil Jones considered leaving Manchester United before Jose Mourinho arrived

Phil Jones considered leaving Man United
© SilverHub
Manchester United defender Phil Jones thanks Jose Mourinho for giving him the confidence to remain at Old Trafford, having found life tough under ex-boss Louis van Gaal.

Phil Jones has credited manager Jose Mourinho for giving him "belief and confidence" after debating whether to call time on his Manchester United career.

The England international has become a regular under the Portuguese since being brought into the side in November, starting 12 Premier League games and featuring a further five times in cup competitions.

It was a different story during Louis van Gaal's time in charge of the Red Devils, however, as Jones - a £17m signing from Blackburn Rovers in 2011 - struggled to make an impact and was shoved close to the Old Trafford exit.

"For whatever reason [Van Gaal] thought I needed to be fitter," he told the Manchester Evening News. "I had no problem with that, I just played the games. I did what I could do to get back in the team and unfortunately it didn't really work out under him.

"No question there were thoughts about my future. It was in the back of my mind. If you are not playing games, that speaks volumes. I feel there have been only three managers who have every truly believed in me and understood me as a player.

"That's not being critical of other managers but the only three were Sam Allardyce, Sir Alex Ferguson and now Jose Mourinho. They have all given me belief and confidence. I am not one who needs to be patted on the back every single day and told I am brilliant. Some players need that, I don't. But those three certainly gave me confidence."

Jones, recently at the centre of a police probe, picked up a long-term injury problem in January which kept him out of Van Gaal's final four months at United.

ID:291427: cacheID:291427:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2894:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jose Mourinho watches on during the EFL Cup semi-final between Hull City and Manchester United on January 26, 2017
Read Next:
Mourinho 'to discuss one-year extension'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!