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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has broken his silence on Phil Jones' situation at the club.
The forgotten England defender has not trained with the first team since the first week of pre-season.
Phil Jones, the longest-serving Manchester United player right now, has not been registered in the Premier League or Europa League squads for this season.
The 30-year-old has also not flown with the Red Devils on tour and has not even been mentioned in the club’s injury reports.
The England international signed his last deal in 2019 and has his contract expiring in the summer of 2023.
The Red Devils have the option to extend it by a further year, although that looks far from likely.
Upon being asked whether Manchester United will release the one-time Premier League winner, Erik Ten Hag has hinted at Jones' departure which looks obvious.
The Dutchman insisted that there has not been any decision regarding Jones' future yet and also claimed that he has been out injured the whole season. He told Manchester United's official website:
“There has not been a decision take about that, for the summer. The whole season he has been injured. I can’t say. What I can say is he is not available for training and hasn’t been since the first day of training this season. Then, the opportunity that you recovery quickly also goes.”
Phil Jones was signed by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011 from Blackburn Rovers.
The Englishman has won a total of five trophies during his time at the club but has not played much in recent years, mostly due to his injury problems.
Jones has featured in a total of 229 games for the Red Devils to date and is capped 27 times for England.
Pundit names player who must replace Wout Weghorst at Manchester United
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has urged Manchester United to sign Antoine Griezmann as a replacement for Wout Weghorst.
The Frenchman joined Atletico Madrid permanently from Barcelona earlier this season and has been in fine form for Diego Simeone's side.
The Red Devils signed Weghorst on loan from Burnley earlier this month but Robinson believes that he is just a stop-gap solution. He told Football Insider:
"Listen, what saw at the World Cup what a world-class player he was. He was in the conversation for the player of the tournament. He has so much more to give."
"I wonder where he would play at Man United though because [Bruno] Fernandes plays in that eight role. Perhaps he could be an alternative to Weghorst or [Anthony] Martial up top."
He added:
"He is a very different style of player but he can play as a nine. Griezmann would be an amazing signing. He is still a world-class player. He is a big player for the big games. If United keep heading the way that they are he would be a very useful signing."
"It would be a statement signing even though he is at the end of his career. I think he would excite fans a bit more than Weghorst."
