Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that Phil Jones has been playing through the pain barrier during the opening stages of the Premier League season. The England international has formed a brilliant partnership alongside Eric Bailly at the heart of the defence, and this has helped United keep clean sheets in their first three games of the campaign.
Speaking after the Leicester City win, Mourinho admitted that Jones is struggling with an ankle problem, and requires close monitoring from the club’s medical department, he said: “He’s potentially a very good player. He’s still young, still at a learning age, but for years and years and years he was injury prone. “He has a problem now. He’s complaining about ankle problems. He’s the kind of player where we need to have him always in our hands, with a lot of care from the medical department.”
Despite Mourinho’s comments, Jones appears to have been passed fit for international duty with ESPN reporting that the player is ‘fine’ to take the playing field for the Three Lions. The 25-year-old has managed just 21 caps for England since his debut back in 2011, and he will be hoping to shrug off his injuries to stake a claim for a regular place.
Both Jones and Eric Bailly will be suspended for United’s return to the Champions League next month, but Mourinho has already confirmed that Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof will take their places against Basel.
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