Phil Jones had seven different managers in his 12-year career at Manchester United, but he believes one coach linked with the managerial job during that time would have been the perfect fit.
After a £16.5 million transfer from Blackburn Rovers, Phil Jones signed for Manchester United and quickly earned an incredible comparison to club legend Duncan Edwards from former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Jones contributed to Ferguson’s final Premier League title success in the 2012/13 season, but that was followed by years severely disrupted by injuries.
As a result, Jones made just 13 appearances in his final four years at Old Trafford, leading to the defender being released in June 2023.
Jones has been gaining coaching experience with United’s youth teams at Carrington since retiring, while working on completing his UEFA Pro Licence.
The former centre-back is also working on a potential media career as he features regularly on United’s official podcast from the training ground.
Mauricio Pochettino press conference
Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images
Phil Jones wanted Mauricio Pochettino at Man Utd
Jones had his struggles with injuries and missed out on lots of football at United, but he can speak in depth about multiple managers who had spells in the dugout after Ferguson.
It remains to be seen if Jones will become a top coach, trying to gel key attributes from the coaches he worked under, or if he’ll take a completely different route in retirement.
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Here is the list of managers that Jones played under at United:
Sir Alex Ferguson (2011-2013)
David Moyes (2013-2014)
Ryan Giggs (2014)
Louis van Gaal (2014-2016)
Jose Mourinho (2016-2018)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (2021-2022)
Ralf Rangnick (2021-2022
Jones never managed to make any appearances under Erik ten Hag; however, there were many managers linked with the job at that time who never got the opportunity.
One of them is Mauricio Pochettino, who earned links to Old Trafford after a strong spell at Tottenham. It never materialised but Jones believes the Argentine coach would have been the perfect fit for United.
“You’d just love to work with him,” Jones told Sports Illustrated FC.
“Definitely. He just gives that vibe. He gives that aura.
“Yeah, he would have been a brilliant fit for Man United, brilliant fit. Well, he was definitely on the list.”
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2026 is a big year for Mauricio Pochettino
Pochettino spent five years at Tottenham, with his biggest achievement being reaching the Champions League final.
The 53-year-old has since managed Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, but he is currently in charge of the United States national team.
That means 2026 is a big year for Pochettino as he’ll be managing one of the three host countries at the World Cup.
A lot less is written about Pochettino these days, but a strong World Cup campaign could see him return to management in Europe – not that we expect the United links to reappear anytime soon.
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