There were reports that Erik Ten Hag has banned Phil Jones from the Manchester United dress room. According to the reports, the England internationals have been told to leave the Manchester United training grounds and dressing room following new signings.
The 30-year-old joined Manchester United in 2011 from Blackburn and has made 229 appearances for Manchester United, including 169 in the Premier League.
Jones is now deemed surplus to requirement by the new Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag. He is now the sixth-choice center-back behind Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Axel Tuanzebe, and Teden Mengi.
What has made the rumors more valid is that the 30-year-old was omitted from the Manchester United Europa League squad.
What did Rio Ferdinand say?
Asked about Phil Jones’s current situation at Manchester United, Ferdinand said: “Listen, I’ve got to be honest, I hope it’s not true.
“If it is true, that’s Erik ten Hag laying it out and saying: “You’re not a part of my plans, moving forward your surplus to requirements”.
“But that’s the game, man. If you’re not involved and you’re not part of the first team going forward, why are you going to be taking up someone else’s space?
“There might be a young player who Ten Hag wants to come in and gain some experience in the dressing room.
“We have to wait and see but Phil Jones, if he’s still there but been demoted to the reserves, that’s a hard pill to swallow.
“He’s suffered some really horrific injuries, so I just hope he stays fit and at some point, he’ll be able to go out and play somewhere.”
Meanwhile, Peter Schmeichel has sent a warning to Manchester United record signing Antony after his impressive debut.
The legendary goalkeeper said on BBC Radio five: “We spent a lot of money on him and you need to put your faith in the manager a little bit and believe that he knows what he’s bringing in.
“We all know that it’s an enormous difference coming from other leagues into the Premier League and, on top of that, having to perform for Manchester United.
“When it’s going well, they get praise, and hopefully Antony can do well every game. He played well and is grabbing all the headlines today.
“But we don’t want to put too much pressure on him though and have to let this young man settle in and get used to the Premier League because it will not be an easy ride for him. It’s not an easy ride for anyone coming to this league and especially playing for United.
“We’ve seen it many times before. Let’s enjoy that he played really well and have a laugh at where he celebrated his goal [in front of the Arsenal fans].”
Manchester United will begin their Europa League campaign against the Spanish side Real Sociedad at Old Trafford.
