Phil Jones opens up on abuse he suffered during Man Utd nightmare

Former Manchester United centre back Phil Jones has said he was embarrassed and ashamed to be sidelined so often by injury during his final four years at Old Trafford

Phil Jones has opened up on the abuse that he received during his injury-ridden time at Manchester United, with the former defender claiming that he feared walking down the street in case someone had a go at him.

The 32-year-old, who retired in August having left Old Trafford as a free agent in the summer of 2023, has already entered coaching and has been working with teams in United’s academy.

But he has bravely outlined the mental toll his injuries have taken on him having made only six Premier League appearances in the final four years of his time at the club.

That led to Jones feeling “ashamed” and “embarrassed” but he now feels proud of his achievements as a player having won the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League alongside 27 senior England caps.

And in a column for BBC Sport he wrote: “It got so bad for a while that I would be walking down the street, worried about what people would say to me in case I got abuse, and thinking about what I'd say next.

“I just wanted to keep my head down when I was in a crowd, and it was the same on social media, which is why I came off it for a while.

“If you knew me, you knew all I wanted was to be able to play football - but it is as if people thought I just woke up each morning and decided I was injured.

Image: Getty) Getty)

“You want to say something back, especially when they said it to my face, but it has never been in my character to do that. I've always been humble and down to earth, and I've never taken myself too seriously.

“So for me to feel that way was hard, and it would get to me. I was ashamed that I was injured, to the extent I didn't even want to speak to my team-mates, and I was embarrassed going into the club every day just for treatment.

“It took a long time for that to change and for me to realise that, while I had lots of ups and downs in my career, ultimately I was proud of what I did as a player. I can look back on some unbelievable memories and I made some amazing friends for life.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to read article