Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly ready to swoop for out-of-favour English international Phil Jones from Manchester United.
The Sun have claimed in their Tuesday report that the Manchester United hierarchy is looking to move Phil Jones off their books in the coming transfer window. The report added that Arsenal and Liverpool were interested in the player during the summer transfer window and have reportedly retained their interest in the defender.
Phil Jones moved to Manchester United from Blackburn Rovers and was hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson, then manager of the Red Devils, as a future superstar and leader for club and country. The 24-year-old, though, has failed to convert the hype around him on the field, with his progress being continuously marred by injuries.
The 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons saw the former Blackburn player feature regularly for Manchester United which raised hopes of United fans that the player could yet come of age. However, the player managed only 10 league appearances last season under Louis Van Gaal and is yet to feature in the league this season for Jose Mourinho.
The player is currently out with a knee ligament problem and faces another three weeks on the sidelines before even taking part in training.
The Sun’s report claim that the player would cost around £10m to any interested party and United are looking to clear the wage bill with the defender earning £110,000 per-week, a figure which failed to be replicated in his performance.
It is reported that Jose Mourinho wants to reinvest the sum recouped from the investment in Phil Jones in strengthening his defensive options in January. The report also said that the defender’s injuries were the main reason Mourinho had attempted to sign veteran Jose Fonte from Southampton in the summer transfer window.
From a potential future leader to an outcast for Manchester United, Phil Jones’s footballing career seems like a downward spiral and a move away from the Red Devils might be necessary for the player himself in order to halt the diminishing value of his stock.
Arsenal and Liverpool are rumoured to be monitoring the defender’s situation at Old Trafford and may decide to offer the player an escape route from a club where the player seems to have frozen out, despite being highly rated at the start of his journey with the Red Devils.
