Phil Jones: Video of Man Utd man vs Cristiano Ronaldo & Real Madrid after Ferguson's praise | OneFootball

Phil Jones has almost become a forgotten man at Manchester United.

The Englishman signed for the club all the way back in 2011 as he joined in a £16.5 million move from Blackburn.

But his time at the club has been plagued by injuries.

Jones has not played for United since an FA Cup tie in January 2020 due to a long-term knee problem.

But he's back in full training now and could represent the club once again soon.

Jones recently spoke to The Times where he spoke about his injury hell.

He also recalled a story of how Sir Alex Ferguson recently praised him for his performance against Real Madrid in 2013.

He said: "He was just unbelievable for me. I went to the premiere of his film with a few players and he came over, we shook hands and then out of the blue he said, ‘Hey, you were f***ing terrific against Real Madrid away [in 2013]. F***ing marking Ronaldo.’ It just gave me so much confidence.

“To be honest, I didn’t even watch his premiere, I was just sitting there thinking about his comment, thinking, ‘He remembers it... someone of his magnitude remembers that.’”

Jones was just 20 years old when United travelled to the Bernabeu for their Champions League last-16 first leg clash.

He started in the middle of the park and was up against some incredible talent including Luka Modric, Xabi Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Jones more than held his own against some of the world's best players.

Eight years on and Ferguson still remembers how good he was. His highlights of the game show that praise is justified.

The two sides drew 1-1 that day and Jones, despite being so young, was one of the best players on the pitch.

Now 29, Jones should be in the prime of his career.

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Jones' progress has been curtailed in recent years but, hopefully, he can get back to his best and put his injury woes behind him.

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