🎤 Exclusive Interview with Phil Jones

Exclusive interview with former Man Utd defender Phil Jones

Speaking exclusively to OLBG, former Man Utd defender Phil Jones says, If Man Utd win the Europa League it’s not a successful season, it’s a sensible decision not to have an open bus parade if they win, he wouldn't swap Man Utd’s season for Arsenal's and discusses potential Man Utd signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo and Emilio Martinez.

Is Ruben Amorim the man for the job at Manchester United?

Yes, he is.

He's honest, he's humble, he's a winner and these things take time.

I think it's difficult for any manager to walk into the club at the minute. There's been a lot of changes in and around the club, to the team and to the staff.

If he wins the Europa League and gets it over the line, I wouldn't say it's been a successful season, but I think it certainly gives him a platform to really stamp his mark next season.

Maybe he enters the transfer market, brings one or two more in, and sees how he gets on. From what I see from the outside and the inside, I like what I see here.

If Manchester United win the Europa League but finish 17th — is that a successful season?

No, it’s not!

Listen, Man Utd shouldn't be competing in the Europa League full stop, but that's where they are at the minute, and it's a competition they want to win. Just like when we won it in 2017 — we wanted to win it.

It's not a foregone conclusion — it's going to be a tough game against Tottenham, who are also having a difficult season and period, but if they can get it over the line, I'd like to think that will give them a real incentive for next season.

A platform where they can go: ‘Right, this is where we're at now, let's try and improve on and off the pitch.’ I think it'd be a positive.

And speaking of the Europa League — what are your thoughts for the game, and if you had to give a score prediction, what would that be?

I’d go 2-1 Man Utd.

Goal scorers?

Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo. Don't ask me about Tottenham, I'm not bothered!

If you had to give us one value bet for the final, what would it be?

A penalty in the game.

In terms of tactically, where do you think the finals are going to be decided? What are the big matchups that we should be looking for?

I’d look down the right-hand side for Amad Diallo. Amad against Destiny Udogie — I think that's going to be a good battle.

Amad's just come back from injury, but I watched him the other night when he came on against Bilbao and he completely changed the game. Amad and Mason Mount completely changed it and won Man Utd the game.

So that would be a good battle between Udogie and Amad — seeing how Tottenham try and stop him. Do they double up on him or not?

I think Dominic Solanke against Harry Maguire will be a good contest, and in the middle of the pitch as well. The game will be won in the middle — who can control the play better and manage those big moments?

Manchester United will have to suffer at times — but which team has the experience to get through? I'd say Man United have a little bit more experience than Tottenham, with players like Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. This isn’t a one-off for them.

So I'd like to think United have enough strength and depth to win the game. However, like I said before, it's not a foregone conclusion by any stretch.

Manchester United have confirmed they won’t have an open-top bus parade if they do win the trophy — do you think that’s the right decision? Does that feel fair to the players and fans?

Yeah, it’s a sensible decision given the season that they’ve had.

They’ve struggled in the league and for form and for all sorts of different reasons.

If it were me and the team and I'd won the Europa League, I'm not sure I would be wanting a trophy parade either.

I think it’s a sensible option. They can have a small win, celebrate at the training ground and prepare for next season — but they’ve got to win it first.

From a Spurs POV — do you think they will sack Ange Postecoglou even if they win?

You know what, I think they do.

I think it's really unfair, I really like Ange Postecoglou.

I think he's a good manager and there are a lot of people who speak really highly of him.

I like the football he plays — he's really aggressive, really intense, a high-pressing team. Some games it works, some games it doesn't, but you like him because he just sticks to what he knows and what he likes.

You know he's not going to be crying, he's not going to hit the reset button just because the man walking his dog on Saturday decides to add his two cents' worth.

He'll stick to his guns. He likes what he likes and knows what he knows.

Again, I like what I see — two managers going head-to-head who’ve got their own sort of personalities.

I think it'd be disappointing if they sacked him, really would, but it is looking that way from what you hear on the outside.

Your old teammate Paul Scholes recently said, "I wouldn’t swap Man United’s season this year for Arsenal’s even if they go on and win the Europa League” — do you agree?

There's no doubt that Arsenal have had a better season than Man United, but I think they're in a different area compared to where United are in terms of development squad-wise.

Arsenal haven't really contested the Premier league again, so they can't be sitting there thinking, ‘we've had a successful season’.

They made it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League and they've had an all right season, but should they be pushing Liverpool all the way for the league? Yeah, absolutely.

Mikel Arteta's done an unbelievable job at Arsenal, but if he doesn't win the league next year or doesn't contest it and goes out of the Champions League — then what happens to him?

Who would want to be a manager?

I agree with Paul Scholes to be fair.

Your old teammate Marcus Rashford had looked back to his old self at Aston Villa before his injury. Do you think it was a mistake for Manchester United to let him leave in January, and do you think he has a future at Old Trafford?

No, I don't think it was a mistake. I think he needed a fresh start, a change of scenery, different faces around the changing room, different messages and ideas from a different manager.

I absolutely don't see a reason why he can't come back and flourish next season. He looks like he's rediscovered his form and like he's fallen back in love with football, which is what he needed to do.

He's a great lad, great kid, loves the game. Personally, I'd love to see him back in the United shirt next season. If he can get firing on all cylinders, scoring goals and being aggressive with his running, you've got a real player on your hands.

Barcelona have been heavily linked with signing Marcus Rashford — would that be a good move for all involved?

Would Barcelona be a good fit? I think any team is, as long as Marcus is playing to the top of his game.

I wouldn’t say he's at the top yet, but he's getting there again.

I don't see any club in Europe who wouldn't take him. When he's playing well, he's frightening. I remember his first training session with England — lads came into the dressing room after the game saying ‘wow’, ‘what a player,’ and he was only 17 or 18.

He's an unbelievable talent with so much ability — he just needs to bring that out more consistently. And I think he's showing that recently.

Rasmus Hojlund has recently been linked with joining Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce in the summer — would that be a good move for all involved?

It’s a difficult one, I feel really sorry for him.

It's obviously been a difficult season for him, but I always find it's difficult for a number 9 in a difficult season. He's probably not getting the chances — you know, the seven, eight chances a game. He's feeding off one or two that might come into him in the 70th minute, and he's got to produce.

It hasn't quite happened for him yet. It's been difficult, but I think if he were to move on, he would probably benefit from that. A bit like Marcus — a fresh start.

What I would say is, I think that Man United will be looking for another number 9 and maybe that takes a bit of the pressure off him as well if he can manage his minutes between the two number 9s. He probably is a typical Jose Mourinho type of player — a typical number 9.

Have you been impressed with Lenny Yoro’s start to his Man United career?

Really impressed. He's comfortable on the ball, he's quick, he's strong, he's aggressive, he's athletic. He's good when he's stepping in with the ball and driving in and creating the attack.

I've been really impressed with him at such a young age to come to a club like Man United and deal with the pressure and the demands. Yeah, he's been a real positive this season for sure.

Reports suggest Man Utd are on the verge of signing Matheus Cunha — is he good enough for Man United?

Really good, I really like him. He's a player who I've watched twice this season against Man United and done well in both games.

He reminds me a little bit of Mousa Dembele, who played for Tottenham. That sort of player — he's so strong when he's running with the ball and powerful, but he's got that ability to shift the ball, move the ball, find a pass, score a goal.

I really like him. I think he'd be a really good addition if the club were to bring him in.

Bryan Mbuemo has also been linked with a summer move to Man United — do you rate him?

Yes, he's a really good player. He's done really well for Brentford, especially in the last two years.

He's been so consistent with his performances, his goals and his assists.

He plays on the right and drifts into the left, so it'll be interesting to see where he would play if Amad Diallo was out there. I'm not sure that's a player who we'll see at United, but definitely a good player.

Emilio Martinez has also been linked with joining in the summer — is he the best keeper in the world?

Best goalkeeper in the world is a strong statement.

I like him. I think he's a very good goalkeeper.

I look at David De Gea, who Man Utd let go — he won us so many games and points throughout the season when I played with him, and had a good season at Fiorentina.

I think Emi Martinez, if he came in, would be a top signing. There's no getting away from that, but it depends on whether you go for experience over a bit more youth who can develop and nurture.

Depends if they stick with Andre Onana. If they want to stick with him, then it depends what they do, but Martinez would be a good signing for sure if they brought him in.

Kai Rooney (Wayne Rooney’s son) has been tearing it up in the Utd youth set up — does Wayne think he can make it?

I did my coaching A license a little bit with the Under 14s, 15s, 16s a couple of years ago. He was in that group and he undoubtedly had a lot of talent then. He's a strong boy. You know, he reminds me of Wayne — the way he moves and the way he shifts the ball.

He's got a really powerful shot.

I don't want to put too much pressure on him; that would be unfair, but he's got huge potential for sure.

Speaking of Wayne, he recently said he was surprised that Man United had never tried to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta — would you rate that signing?

Listen, I like Jean-Philippe Mateta. I think he's a top player for Palace, but I'm not sure he's a Man United player.

I'd put it like that. I like him, I like what he brings. He brings people into play, he's a handful to play against, he scores goals — but I'm not sure he's a Man United player.

Viktor Gyökeres is another name consistently linked with Manchester United — would you like to see him join?

I like him, I think he's a good player. He's proving himself in the Portuguese league, and he's scored loads of goals in European competitions like the Champions League.

What I would say is it's a different kettle of fish when you come to Man United. It's a huge club with high demands — it’s a heavy shirt to wear.

I've seen many players come here who are huge stars, and it doesn't quite work out. I think he's a top player and he would definitely flourish in Man United's team, but he's still a young player — maybe he needs another move elsewhere in Europe before coming here.

He's someone with so much potential and is already scoring goals at the top level. But I think he probably needs one more move before he comes here.

People might say, ‘he's ready now,’ but I've seen so many players come here and not be quite ready because they're used to being the big fish in a small pond.

I don't mean to be disrespectful to Sporting — they’re still a huge club in Portugal — but Man United is a massive club and not everyone performs under that weight.

Where else do you think Man Utd need to strengthen in the summer? Which three players should they sign if money was no object?

I think they need to strengthen the number 6 position.

They're probably going to go into the market for another centre-half if a couple of players out of contract leave.

It wouldn't surprise me if they went for a number 6, a number 9 and potentially a wide man. But I think they'd be looking for a number 6 who's athletic, can get about the pitch, comfortable in possession and can build play up.

That’s the sort of characteristics you're probably looking for in that area — and a number 9 that can score goals.

Man United play Aston Villa on Sunday — what are your thoughts for the game, and if you had to give a score prediction what would that be?

Last home game of the season, I'm probably going to go 2-0 Man United, just because it's the last home game.

Hopefully, I'm being optimistic here on the back of winning the Europa League. There'll be some young faces probably playing in the game.

Aston Villa will have to win the game to get into the Champions League, so there'll be a lot riding on it for them. I'd go 2-0 United.

Blackburn finished 7th and just missed out on the playoffs — would you back them to get promoted next season?

Yeah, it'd be tough.

I think they were overachieving a little bit during the middle of the season. I thought they did a fantastic job under John Eustace. I thought John Eustace was brilliant.

I went in to see John at Blackburn and watched him train for a couple of days and you could see the culture he'd created there was a good one. Then obviously he left to go to Derby.

He's kept them in the league, which is a great achievement for them — pleased for them.

Blackburn didn't win in eight, nine games and I think it absolutely killed them. So I think it'd be difficult for them to get playoffs next year. They're going to have to recruit well.

I'm not sure what the transfer budget will be either, but it'd be nice to see them competing for sure. It's a club that I grew up supporting when I was a little boy and played for. Yeah, so many fond memories down at Blackburn.

Is Valérien Ismaël the right man for the job there?

Obviously, he’s had a tough start; he only won two out of his first eight games or something like that, but I think it'd be too early to call that one.

I mean he's only been in the job for just under six months, so let's see how they get on next season.

I think they do need to bring one or two in. I was just looking before at the retained list and the lads who have gone — I think they're going to need to strengthen that area for sure.

Former Blackburn lad Adam Wharton won the FA Cup with Crystal Palace at the weekend — how good can he become?

Yeah, he's a top player. I called it at Blackburn when I saw him play there.

The way he takes the ball and protects the ball — he's got creative passes in the build-up. I really like him.

I think he's a top player and I think if he did play for a bigger club than Palace, he would play with better players (that's no disrespect to Palace, what they've done is incredible).

If you put him in a City team or a Chelsea or Arsenal team — I think you bring out a real player in there.

How did you rate Todd Cantwell’s first season at Rovers?

Yeah, I think he's done all right.

He's scored a few goals, got a few assists, but again, I think he was out injured towards the end of the season. I think he struggled for continuity.

But again, he's a player that I think was on the retained list. They need to keep hold of him because he's somebody who can score goals.

He's played at that level before, been to Rangers, played in big games. He's a big game player — the type of character you want in big games because he's not frightened of taking the ball under pressure or in difficult circumstances.

You spent over a decade at one of the biggest clubs in the world — what’s the one moment that defines your time at United?

Winning the Premier League in 2013 was an incredible moment and achievement — something that I never thought I'd ever do as a young player growing up in Blackburn's Academy.

Winning the Premier League was an incredible feeling, an incredible moment for me, my family and my friends. A day that you can never forget.

Take us back to 2011 when Sir Alex Ferguson signed you. Tell us the story of how that happened and what he said to you.

Yeah, I was in Dubai at the time. My girlfriend, now my wife, was with me and I had an unknown number ringing me — probably the only club that hadn’t reached out yet.

I don't answer unknown numbers (well, I do now but not back then), and it rang a few times. My Mrs said, ‘you have to answer that,’ so I answered it — and it was Sir Alex Ferguson on the phone saying, ‘I'd love to meet up with you, I love the way you play, I'd love to bring you in at Man United’.

That was it. I got the first plane back home and then went to Nice to meet him with David Gill and my agent.

I was actually meeting a few other clubs that day as well, but I came out of there saying there’s no other club I want to go to. We had a 30–45 minute conversation — he didn’t even ask me about football. It was about family, school, growing up.

Then at the end he looked at me and said, ‘Phil, are you a winner?’ I sheepishly said, ‘Yeah’ and he replied, ‘Well, come to Man United because we win things.’ That was it. Done.

Fergie once said ‘he could be our best ever player’ about you. How did that make you feel and did that add pressure at such a young age?

I've said this before — when I was that young at the time, it's nice to hear those things but you don’t really think about them.

When you're a young player, you just go out and play football, hang with your mates, go out for food with family. You don't really understand what a comment like that means, especially coming from someone like Sir Alex.

Probably in hindsight, it didn’t help me. But yeah, it was always nice to hear comments like that from the man himself.

How did it feel being labelled ‘the next John Terry’ at 19?

When a young player's coming through now and people ask me how they are, I'm always cautious and always try to play it down.

I never want to be the one who makes that one comment that kills them. You know what I mean? Saying ‘he's going to be this, he's going to be that’ — I try to avoid that pressure.

What’s your proudest moment in a Manchester United shirt?

One of the proudest moments was probably something you wouldn't expect — coming back from injury against Wolves after being out for 12 months.

Just to be on the pitch was amazing. My kids were in the stands watching, my family were there — that was probably the proudest moment I’ve had because of the effort and slog I went through just to get fit and be in a position to play.

Which manager got the best out of you at United?

Sir Alex obviously. Jose Mourinho was Marmite but I loved him.

I thought he was brilliant and I wasn't even playing regularly at the time when he came in, but he managed me really well. If you're playing well for him, he's brilliant to be around.

He just got it. For that period of time after Sir Alex, it’s probably the best period of football I played — under him.

What’s one thing Sir Alex Ferguson told you that’s stuck for life?

One thing that always sticks out is when we played Bilbao at home. I think we drew 1-1, but we were winning 1-0 and I passed the ball back to David De Gea.

David was having a difficult season and it was a strong, clean pass so he could clear it — but he sort of shanked it. It fell to one of their strikers and they scored.

I came into the dressing room after and Sir Alex hammered me for the pass, said it was too strong. I remember thinking, ‘that wasn’t a bad pass’ — but then I realised he was protecting David, who was going through a tough time. That was smart management.

I was frustrated, but I wasn’t the kind of guy to cry about it. I took it.

How different were Moyes, Mourinho, Van Gaal, Solskjaer and Ten Hag in terms of managing people?

Man management — Sir Alex was the best. There's no better. He knew his team three weeks in advance — how they'd set up and play. It was mad.

Van Gaal was terrific tactically — probably one of the best I’ve played under. His understanding of the game and how he analysed the opposition was second to none.

We didn’t win every game, but every player knew exactly what they had to do, both individually and collectively. Tactically, he was spot on.

Was Mourinho as tough on players as the media made out?

Yeah, brutal — but this is football. It’s a different game to any other game in the world. Everyone understood — he's a winner and he wants to win.

I don't know anybody who's nice when they're losing. It was difficult toward the end when he left, but I owe him a lot.

He brought me back into the team when I wasn’t playing. Managed me through my knee issues. No problem — I thought he was really good for my career.

You mentioned Van Gaal earlier. Which manager taught you the most tactically? Would you say it was him at the club?

Definitely Van Gaal. Just in terms of the relationships on the pitch — your distances between players in front of you, behind you, your goalkeeper — all the connections.

When to jump, when not to jump. We played a back three — so timing the press mattered.

Everything was really detailed. He made me think about the game so much differently than just going out and playing. It was about the finer details.

Who was the best motivator of all the managers you worked under?

Yeah, obviously Sir Alex.

He used to go around the changing room before a game and speak to every single player: ‘This is why you play for me. This is why I have you — and not him from the other team.’

You'd go out on the pitch and you’d already won the game before it even started. It was a crazy feeling.

In the tunnel, I’d be looking at the opposition thinking: we’ve already won. That belief came from his motivation, his passion, and his desire — and it fed through to everyone.

Talking about managers, I want to take you back to April 2022 and half-time at Anfield against Liverpool. Ralf Rangnick substituted you — is it fair to say the decision didn’t go down well?

With all due respect, I have nothing against him and I don't hold any grudges. He's done well in Austria as national team coach, but yeah — I felt really hard done to. Really hard done to.

I battled really hard to get a start in the team, trained professionally throughout my career, and got thrown into the team at Anfield — right centre half in a back three. I was happy to be playing there, even though it was a tall order.

I thought my own performance was good. Aggressive, defended well, didn’t give the ball away. But we were 2-0 down at half time, and I felt I was the easy scapegoat.

‘He’s not played in six weeks, he looks rusty — take him off.’ I thought it was poor judgment. I was really disappointed. If I was a manager, I’m not sure I would’ve made that decision.

I respected it — it was what it was. Probably the only time in a changing room where I voiced my frustration. I did apologise afterwards. That was it. Move on.

Were you ever close to leaving United before you actually did?

Yeah, I think around 2020, 2021. My minutes in the team were limited, and I was struggling a bit with my knee injury.

I had a few opportunities to go elsewhere — both abroad and in the UK — but I was never in a position to go.

I was never a guy to take a big contract somewhere, break down three weeks later, and ask for all the money. I just couldn’t do it.

There are players who do that and fight through it, but I wasn’t in a position to do it — and I wasn’t going to do that.

When you did leave Man Utd, you’ve previously spoken about the moment you left the WhatsApp group and your goodbye message was initially ignored. How did that feel?

I was in the WhatsApp group I’d been in for years. I knew I was leaving and needed to come out of the group — they were preparing for games, and I wasn’t part of that anymore.

I just said: ‘Listen lads, it’s been an absolute pleasure. I’ve loved playing with every single one of you. I wish you all the best. I’ll always be a fan and support you.’ Then I left the group about two minutes later.

So I didn’t even get to see any replies — but I had loads of texts afterwards. Lads messaged me directly. So no problem.

You once joked that ‘only your mum and dad’ would turn up at your Man Utd testimonial. Is that how you really felt and did you turn down the chance to have one?

I spoke to loads of people — people pulled me up in the street saying, ‘We’d have 25-50,000 people there if you had a testimonial, no problem.’

But it was just a joke — saying there would only be my mum, dad and me. That’s all it was.

How much would a prime Phil Jones cost in today’s game?

I look back and I think I went for £16 million plus add-ons — that was in 2011.

In this day and age, if I were to move from Blackburn to Man United again, you’d be looking at £40-50 million for sure.

I’m not trying to bump my price up, but coming from Blackburn I definitely think I’d be worth at least £40 million now.

Was there ever a club you regretted not joining?

Not really, no — I grew up supporting Blackburn, so to play for them was incredible.

I remember being on the terraces watching, then I’m out there playing — amazing.

Then playing for Man United — while I would’ve liked to play more, there’s not another club I regret not going to.

Obviously you look at Real Madrid — everyone wants to play there. Look at Trent going now, and I don’t blame him.

But I don’t look back and think I should’ve gone somewhere else.

Most memorable moment travelling with England?

World Cup. Representing my country in Brazil for the first time — albeit a dead rubber game, but it was a proud moment to stand in the line and sing the national anthem on that stage.

I also played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. I made 28 or 29 appearances for England — I’m super proud of that.

If you could relive one 10-second moment from your career, what would it be?

The last 10 seconds of winning the Premier League in 2013 — 2-0 against Villa. We had about 30 minutes left, but we knew we’d won it.

It gave you goosebumps on the pitch — knowing you were champions. That would be unreal to relive.

Who were the biggest leaders at Manchester United when you played there?

So many — in different ways. You don’t have to wear the armband to be a leader.

I’d say Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, and Nemanja Vidic.

Who’s the best centre back in the world right now?

I think it’s got to be Virgil van Dijk. What he’s done — yeah, he had a blip coming back from injury — but he's been fantastic for Liverpool. A real leader.

I also like Dean Huijsen, who’s just gone to Real Madrid from Bournemouth. I watched his debut — he’s done brilliantly. Looking forward to seeing more of him.

Who’s one striker you never want to face again?

Luis Suarez was hard to play against. I played against Didier Drogba in my first ever game for Blackburn. Eden Hazard was a nightmare — not a number 9, but a number 10 — but yeah, those three.

Who’s the most underrated player you played with?

Michael Carrick. No doubt. He was unbelievable at what he could do — but I never felt like he got the credit he truly deserved.

Is there one player that you wish you played with that you never got the opportunity?

I think there are some legends of the game at centre-half. I always liked Sergio Ramos — the way he played, took penalties, free kicks — had swagger.

Would’ve been great to play with someone like that.

Who’s the hardest teammate you ever played with?

Probably Anderson at Man United. Always jokey in training. Even when you wanted to take it seriously, he kept it light — but that’s what made him great.

He gave the ball away, didn’t care — just got it back and did something special. I’d say Ando.

Who’s the toughest player you ever played against?

I always found it difficult playing against Jamie Vardy. He just keeps running — he doesn’t stop.

He runs in behind, comes short, spins, presses. You’ve got to follow him everywhere — he just never stops. Especially in his prime — relentless.

Be brutally honest — has the standard of defending in the Premier League dropped compared to your era?

No, I don't think so — if anything, it's got better.

It’s tactically better now. Players understand pressing systems, overloads, when to jump, when to sit. The positioning is much more refined now.

Defenders are so athletic — powerful and strong. Look at Saliba and Gabriel — they’re monsters. So I’d say it’s improved.

What’s your favourite shirt you ever wore?

Obviously the Blackburn shirt when I made my debut.

Then it's got to be the England badge — the Three Lions. But I also loved the old salmon pink kit at United. That soft pink away kit — it probably didn’t suit me, but I loved it.

I had pink boots too — Adidas. We got battered in it but I didn’t care!