Phil Jones Confirmed For Man United Return And Could Feature In Injury-Hit Defence For Leicester City Clash

Phil Jones is in contention of making his long-awaited return to Manchester United’s first team due to the injury crisis that has hit Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s defence.

Harry Maguire was forced off in United’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Old Trafford in September after he picked up a calf injury.

The 28-year-old United skipper missed the subsequent matches against Villarreal and Everton as he recovers from his injury.

United were dealt a major blow after Raphael Varane sustained a groin muscle injury in France’s 2-1 win over Spain in the Nations League final.

The Red Devils confirmed in a club statement that the 28-year-old French defender, who was signed from Real Madrid in the summer, would be “out for a few weeks.”

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Solskjaer could start both Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof in the United XI in the absence of Maguire and Varane.

However, United’s latest statement has confirmed that both Jones and Marcus Rashford have returned to training with the first team over the international break.

And Jones could be called upon by Solskjaer to feature alongside Bailly or Lindelof in the United defence against Leicester City at the King Power on Saturday.

“Phil Jones and Marcus Rashford have both been training with the first team over the international break following their long-term injuries and the duo could feature against Leicester in our 15:00 BST kick-off at the King Power Stadium on Saturday,” reads the club’s statement.

PA

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Jones has faced a lengthy absence from the United first team due to a knee injury, with Solskjaer confirming that he would be part of his plans for the current season.

The 29-year-old centre-back’s last first-team appearance came in United’s 6-0 thumping of Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup in January 2020.

Jones, who was on the bench in United’s Carabao Cup exit to West Ham, played 90 minutes against both Arsenal Under-23s and Brighton Under-23s last month.

Topics: Phil Jones, Manchester United, Leicester City, Football, Premier League, England

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9