Phil Jones is not considered an option by Erik ten Hag at Manchester United despite the club’s lack of options in defence for the season run-in.
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United lost first-choice pairing Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla, with the Argentina international set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a fractured metatarsal bone in his foot.
Varane meanwhile is set to be out for ‘a few weeks’ according to a recent club statement but there is no clear timeline for his return.
Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof reformed their partnership in the starting XI on Sunday, keeping a clean sheet in the 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
While Luke Shaw will also offer an option at centre-half when he returns to fitness, ten Hag’s options at the back are limited for a pivotal run of fixtures that will define United’s season.
Ten Hag’s options will be further reduced on Sunday against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley with Maguire set to miss out through suspension, sparking talk that Jones could return to the squad.
The defender, the club’s longest-serving player alongside David de Gea, enjoyed a brief return to the United side last season under Ralf Rangnick, playing five times in the second-half of the season.
But The Athletic report the 31-year-old is not viewed as a viable option having been unable to complete a single training session under ten Hag this season.
Jones is said to have spent last summer getting himself in the best shape possible for ten Hag’s first pre-season in charge at Old Trafford only to suffer a relapse of a long-term knee problem on the first day of training back.
The setback is said to have caused Jones ‘serious distress’ with the former Blackburn Rovers starlet unable to get fit since.
United head out to Seville on Thursday as they look to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the Europa League before their clash with Brighton at Wembley on Sunday.
United then take on Tottenham in a crucial game in their bid to secure a top four finish.
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