- The defender’s 12 years at Old Trafford were marred by a series of injuries
- He chose to retire from football in August and has begun his coaching career.
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Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has laid bare the extent of the abuse he received during his brutal injury nightmare at Old Trafford.
Jones, 32, spent 12 years with the Red Devils between 2011 and 2023, but decided to end his playing career in August and begin his coaching badges.
The centre-back suffered a plague of physical problems during his time on the pitch, dating back to his teenage years at his boyhood club Blackburn.
She recently admitted to feeling mental “trauma” from online criticism and was hesitant to leave the house after hearing whispers of trolls on the street.
Jones’ embarrassment even extended to the United dressing room, where he was embarrassed by his injury problems and the lengthy treatment he required.
Phil Jones opens up about the abuse he faced while injured at Manchester United
The center-back admitted that he felt embarrassed to confront his teammates because of his physical problems
talking to BBC sportHe said: ‘It got so bad for a while that I was walking down the street, worrying about what people would say to me if I was abused, and thinking about what I would say next.
“I just wanted to keep my head down when I was in the crowd, and it was the same on social media, so I gave it up for a while.
“If you knew me, you knew that all I wanted was to be able to play football, but it’s like people thought I woke up every morning and decided I was injured.”
“You want to say something back, especially when it was said to my face, but it’s never been in my character to do that.” I’ve always been humble and down-to-earth, and I’ve never taken myself too seriously.
‘So for me to feel that way was difficult and it would affect me.
“I was embarrassed about being injured, to the point where I didn’t even want to talk to my teammates, and I was embarrassed to go to the club every day just to get treatment.”
Jones won the Premier League title during Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at Old Trafford.
But he suffered a series of setbacks throughout his 12 years at United before retiring.
Jones made 229 appearances during his long spell with United and was part of the team that won the Premier League in 2012-13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. He also added a Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup to his trophy cabinet.
As he looks to take his first step into management, Jones is hopeful players will learn from their mistakes and avoid bottling up their mental anguish.
“Unfortunately there were times when I was at United when I didn’t seek help,” he added. ‘My coping mechanism when I had a problem was to stay silent, and that was probably my downfall. I didn’t open up to anyone.
‘I would hide my injuries from other players and staff. I put up a shield so no one would know what was going on, other than my close family.
“One of my lowest moments was when I was trying to play through the pain of my knee injury, when it got to the point where the doctor had to inject my knee before every game I played so I wouldn’t feel it.
He hopes players learn from their mistakes and avoid bottling up their problems.
Jones coached United’s under-18s last season and aims to move into management
“I was on the bench during a game at Brighton, but one of our centre-backs had problems in the warm-up, so I thought I’d be proactive and get the injection before kick-off.
“It was embarrassing for me because I didn’t want anyone to see that I was struggling or in pain; remember, I was meant to be a tough guy as a defender.”
“So I walked into a cubicle in the locker room just as the coach was starting his pre-game talk, and I asked the doctor to give me an injection there.”
