Manchester United centre-back Phil Jones is reportedly doubtful to face Newcastle United on Saturday after he pulled out of the England squad with an apparent thigh injury, M.E.N reports.
The 25-year-old had his left thigh strapped prior to the international friendly versus Germany last Friday, and he aggravated the problem shortly after making a goal-line clearance in the 25th minute.
Following the game, Southgate allayed fears of a serious injury for the former Blackburn Rovers graduate, although he remains a doubt for this weekend’s Premier League outing versus Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
Jones has turned out to be the perfect foil for Eric Bailly at the heart of the defence, and Mourinho would surely be concerned by the Englishman’s fitness at a point when the likes of Paul Pogba, Marcos Rojo and Michael Carrick are closing in on their comebacks.
The central defender has missed over 100 matches for United due to a string of injuries over the years, but Jones has recently refused to accept that he is injury prone, he said: “It’s a fine line. People think you’re injured. I’m not injured, I’m just carrying a little niggle. But people think, ‘Oh he’s injured, he’s got an ankle problem’. It doesn’t mean you’re injured, you’re managing it for the next game. Injuries get misinterpreted.”
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