Phil Jones

Philip Anthony Jones (born 21 February 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender.

He is currently a free agent.

The last club he played for was Manchester United.

Before joining Manchester United, Jones played for Blackburn Rovers at both youth and senior levels.

Although primarily a centre-back, he has also been used as a right-back or defensive midfielder.

Jones has represented England at various levels.

Jones joined the Blackburn Rovers youth team in 2002.

He played for the under-19 team in 2009 before making his debut for the under-21 team in 2010.

He then joined the senior team for the 2009–10 Premier League season, signing a two-year professional contract.

He made his first-team debut for Blackburn after starting the League Cup match against Nottingham Forest on 22 September 2009, in which Blackburn won 1–0.

In the 2009–10 season, he made nine league appearances, and three cup appearances.

Then in February 2010, he signed a new five-year contract that included a £16 million release clause.

Jones made his first Premier League start for Blackburn against Chelsea on 21 March, just a month after turning 18.

He was widely praised for his committed and assured performance at centre-back, making several crucial blocks and interceptions as Rovers held the champions to a 1–1 draw at Ewood Park.

The 2010–11 season started in promising fashion with Jones starting in the opening match of the campaign against Everton, and subsequently playing the majority of the club's matches in the first half of the season, albeit in an unfamiliar defensive midfield role.

A torn knee cartilage injury in a match against West Ham United in December, threatened to rule him out for the remainder of the season.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Manchester United were reportedly interested in signing Jones.

Alex Ferguson was apparently impressed with Jones' commitment and leadership skills at centre-back when Blackburn held United to a 1–1 draw on the day United clinched the title.

He made his debut for the England senior team in 2011, and represented his country at UEFA Euro 2012, and the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.

Jones was born in Preston, Lancashire, and grew up in nearby Clayton-le-Woods.

He attended Balshaw's CE High School in Leyland, and played for the Ribble Wanderers under-10 team.

However, on 19 March 2011, he made his return from injury against Blackpool at Ewood Park coming on as a second-half substitute for Brett Emerton in a 2–2 draw.

On 2 April 2011, Jones started a first-team match for the first time in four months against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw.

Despite his injury, he played 26 league matches, and two cup matches for Blackburn that season.

On 13 June 2011, United confirmed that they had reached an agreement to sign Jones on a five-year deal for an undisclosed transfer fee believed to be at least £16.5 million; the deal would be finalised upon his return from international duty.

He made his debut for the club on the 2011 pre-season tour to the United States, in United's 3–1 victory over Chicago Fire.

Jones made his competitive debut for United as a second-half substitute, replacing Rio Ferdinand in the 2011 FA Community Shield against rivals Manchester City.

United were 2–0 behind, but won 3–2.

Jones made his league debut a week later, again as a substitute replacing Ferdinand, as United beat West Bromwich Albion 2–1 on the opening weekend.

On 10 September, Jones provided two assists for Wayne Rooney in United's 5–0 thumping of Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.

Jones started the away match to Liverpool as a box-to-box midfielder, different from his usual centre-back and full-back positions he was accustomed to.

Jones scored his first ever senior goal on 3 December in a 1–0 away win against Aston Villa.

Jones scored a consolation goal against Basel in a 2–1 Champions League defeat that resulted in United being knocked out of the competition, heading in a loose ball after Federico Macheda's shot had come back off the bar.

On 21 December, he suffered a facial injury in an away match against Fulham, however the X-ray showed no serious damage and Jones returned to action in the 3–2 defeat against Blackburn on 31 December.

After suffering a back problem and having a knee operation which kept him out for the start of the 2012–13 season, Jones made his first appearance in an away match against Galatasaray in the Champions League on 20 November.

He scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season on 29 October in a 4–0 win against Norwich City in the League Cup.

On 10 December, he scored the only goal of the match in a 1–0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the final group-stage match of the Champions League, ensuring United finished top of the group.

On 9 February, Jones assisted Anthony Martial in a 3–0 win over Fulham, his first goal involvement since 2014.

On 1 July 2015, Jones signed a new four-year contract with United.

On 8 February 2019, he signed a new contract until 2023.