Phil Jones spent a total of 12 years plying his trade for Manchester United between 2011 and 2023. An excellent servant, the Englishman arrived at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson, who admitted that he could have become the Red Devils’ best player of all time.
Jones, you saw Jones tonight. Arguably, the way he is looking, could be our best ever player.
After years of being used sporadically by a host of managers – including Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – Jones hung up his boots in March 2024 with a mere (given the length of his stay!) 229 outings under his belt.
Jones, who rose up Blackburn Rovers’ academy ranks before being spotted by Ferguson, was one of the club’s longest-serving assets and, despite his injury struggles, his dedication to the badge could not be challenged whatsoever.
It all came to a lamentable, yet slow and subtle, end at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign when he was not included in Manchester United’s Premier League squad because of his perennial unavailability, which was all due to a string of injuries.
Upon calling it a day came the time to say goodbye to his Manchester United teammates, which included something as mundane as leaving the club’s WhatsApp group – but the 33-year-old has admitted that it was tougher than expected.
Jones on Leaving the Man Utd WhatsApp Chat
'No-one cares. But that's it. It's football.'
Alongside his illustrious playing career at club level – one that saw him collect the solitary Premier League title, the 2016/17 Europa League, the FA Cup in 2016 and the League Cup the year after – the Preston-born defender accrued 27 England caps.
As such, having to leave it all behind and ponder over a life without stepping out on the pitch was tough for Jones – as it is for all former professionals who make the less-than-seamless transition into post-retirement life.
When quizzed about what it was like having to leave the club, he insisted that one of the hardest parts of retirement was leaving the squad-wide WhatsApp group, which would have included the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
Phil Jones - Man Utd Honours
Season
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2016
2016/17
2017
Albeit a simple logistics matter, Jones claimed that it proved to be ‘quite emotional’. “Believe it or not, it was quite emotional,” he said, per The Sun. “I’d been on the WhatsApp for years and banter, and you're sending people pictures and all sorts.”
“I remember sitting in the bedroom going like, ‘Lads, it's been a pleasure' and blah blah blah. Some I've played with a lot, some I've only just met, but it's been an absolute pleasure. I wish you all the best and I'll be your biggest supporters,’” he continued.
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Admitting that coming to terms with his retirement was a ‘tough moment’, things got much tougher when there was no response to his message – and just like that, he left the group and has insisted that’s part and parcel of playing football at the top level.
It was a tough moment actually. Do you know what? I gave it a minute and there was no response. I was like ‘gone, gone, gone, I'm gone!’ No-one cares. But that's it. It's football. Things move so quickly and people come in. I played with people for six years. I will never see them again. I'll never speak to them again.
Inside Jones’ Life Post-Retirement
The defender found the transition to be tricky
For the majority of professional footballers, there are two avenues they typically go down: management or punditry. And Jones – who is, alongside the likes of Arjen Robben and Jack Wilshere, widely regarded as one of the best injury-prone players in football history – took up the latter.
Alongside giving his two cents on live television, he is also completing his UEFA Pro Licence coaching course – but he has insisted that the transition from dedicating his life to the beautiful game has been anything but flawless. Per The Sun, he said:
I found myself getting really bitter towards the end of the game and that’s not who I was. But I needed that time to reflect and come to terms with what happened and how it happened. I look back now and I’m in a great place.
According to a report from The Athletic, Jones had initially decided to go down the route of becoming a sporting director but performed a U-turn after realising that coaching is his “bread and butter” – in fact, the idea of leading a pack is thrilling.
Jones, despite seldom being a consistent starter for the 20-time English champions because of Manchester United boasting the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in the former Blackburn man's infant years at the club, can be proud of what he achieved.
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But now, all focus has turned to him becoming a great coach, one that boasts a win-at-all-costs attitude, and he believes his football know-how, combined with working under an array of top tacticians across his 12-year career as a player, will aid his development.
“I don’t think you can be just a head coach and I don’t think you can be just a manager. I’ve seen tremendous managers but they’ve fallen short on the grass and vice versa. You have to be both. It’s about managing players, managing people and managing egos.”
“I feel like I’ve got too much to offer,” the aspiring manager admitted when answering whether he was aware of the years of tireless work that are to come in the near future. “I want to be involved. I want to be that guy now. I want to be that guy to turn fortunes around.”
All statistics per Transfermarkt - correct as of 19/03/2025