Phil Jones said that the one injury he suffered during his footballing career was the downfall of the latter stage of his career.
The 32-year-old was a part of the Manchester United squad for 12 years after signing from Blackburn Rovers back in 2011, racking up 229 appearances for the Red Devils before his contract expired in June last year. He also picked up 27 caps for England on the world stage, after initially debuting for the Three Lions in a 2011 Euros qualifier against Montenegro at the age of just 19.
But a knee injury requiring surgery in 2020 would spell disaster for Jones, leaving him sidelined for 454 days and missing 78 competitive fixtures for United. And while he was eventually able to return to the field in September 2021, Jones has since admitted that the problem seriously diminished his abilities.
In an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes 1-2-Free, Jones explained: "People talk about how 'injuries' impacted my career, when in reality it was only one injury that I'd ever really had, which was my knee. That was the downfall of the latter stage of my career, but it wasn't like I was just picking up hamstring injuries, quads, calves, little tears, here and there.
"I think I only had one muscle injury in my entire career - one or two - which is incredible when you think about it. It was just that my knee was causing me so many problems and pain. It was difficult to get through. You know, mentally it was really tough. There's not really much more I can say about it, to be honest.
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"For my family, for my friends, it was hard, too. Knowing what I was going through, having something ripped away from me that I just loved doing, it was hard to deal with."
Jones was a solid centre half for United when fit (Getty Images)While he looks to the future now, Jones continues to follow the club and claims to be United's "biggest fan", and that he will fight "tooth and nail" for the club regardless of the fact that he is no longer competing on the field for them. He continued: "Manchester is my home. It will always be my home, now. The fans have been absolutely brilliant throughout my career.
"They've supported me through the tough times, the good times, they've been there through it all. I could never thank or repay them enough, for the support they showed me, and my family, too. I'm Man United's biggest fan, I watch every single game and I love to see them doing well. I'll fight tooth and nail for them in disagreements and arguments because it's my club, it's my home. It's all I've known for the last 14 years or so."
He went on: "I can remember my last start for the club; I came back against Wolves in 2022. It was so emotional for me on that night; the fans gave me such an unbelievable reception that I almost felt like I didn't really deserve, in a way. I wasn't able to perform as much as I could have done, and so for them to give me that reception, with my family there, you know, in front of my kids... it still gives me goosebumps now, just thinking about it. It was an incredible day, which I'll never, ever forget.
"I owe those fans so much. They're a brilliant set of supporters of a brilliant club." However, Jones wasn't always well received at the club, touching on pressure that he had on him at the start of his career at Old Trafford. He also said that it was "tough" for him adapting to the standard and pace of training at Carrington.
Phil Jones picked up 27 caps for England (Daily Mirror)"The things people were saying about me when I signed for Manchester United, and the comparisons people were making, while I don't think they shaped me in any way, I do think they certainly put more pressure on me," he recalled. "But it was pressure that I was more than capable of dealing with. It was added pressure which comes with playing for a club like United; it's part of the game and people are always going to criticise you when you're not playing well, and rave about you when you are playing well.
"It's a fickle sport in a way. I was always a confident boy; confident, not complacent. But when I arrived at United, definitely in those first few training sessions, it was tough for me. The standard was so high, I couldn't get to grips with the pace of the training sessions, never mind the games!
"The way players were moving the ball in those one-touch drills... I can remember Sir Alex [Ferguson] just pulling me to one side...'Relax, just ease your way in and you'll get used to the pace and the rhythm, and you'll start to enjoy it'. And I did, to be fair. It took me a couple of weeks to settle in - not in terms of with the lads, because everyone was brilliant with me right from the word go.
"But footballing-wise, and feeling confident within myself, to perform at that level, that did take a while. But once I got my feet under the table, I was fine. The levels were crazy, though. Absolutely crazy."
While enjoying many highs with Manchester United – including a Premier League title in his second season, one Europa League trophy and FA Cup a piece, as well as two Community Shields – the glory didn't come without its darkness. Speaking on his lowest moment, the centre-half said: "The Sergio Aguero goal, and that title race, is comfortably the lowest moment in my career. It's a tough one, when I look back at that QPR game at the Etihad.
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Jones had his fair share of ups and downs (Getty Images)"We'd finished the game away at Sunderland and won 1-0, they're into added time in their game and they go and score two goals. It was a crazy experience for everyone really, but that's football, and it's why we love the game so much, because things like that can happen. I look back now and think I could have had two Premier League medals, but for that moment.
"That game was one of its own, but to be fair, when you look at the season on the whole, we had more than enough chances to win the league. I think we were 10 points clear by Christmas, and we gave it away. I look back now and just think we should have won it.
"The game that probably cost us the league, ultimately, was at the Etihad, two or three games before the end of the season. Vincent Kompany scored a header in a 1-0 win, and I think that was the night where we gave them the league, if we're being brutally honest. We only needed a draw, really; not that you play for a draw, of course. That's a moment I'd love to eradicate, personally."
Jones is now looking to a career in management after hanging his boots up for good, claiming that he wants to develop and take the reins of a team in the coming years. He has already received his A Licence in coaching, while helping out the Under-18s at Manchester United this year, and believes that both feats will go a long way in his future plans. He added: "I've really got that urge now, to get back out there and make my own pathway for the next stage of my career.
"I certainly have my own aspirations of going into management. I've played under some incredible managers who have given me so much knowledge, and I've learned so much from every one of them. It's experience that you can't buy. I enjoy working with players, working with young lads, being on the pitch, in and around the squad.
"I'm going to apply for my pro licence in the next few weeks, which hopefully I'll be able to do soon. I've also been doing a sports directorship course through the PFA which has been really good. It's given me the chance to work with people I wouldn't normally come across."
Jones continued: "But I definitely want to go into management in the next few years, for sure. I don't think that going into management too early is the right thing to do; I think there's a progression that's got to happen, but I'd love to work at a club as an assistant or first-team coach, and I definitely feel I've got something to offer in terms of helping squads, and individual players."
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