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Phil Jones was once England’s next big hope with a bright future beckoning
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A cruel succession of injuries ultimately left him a forgotten figure at Old Trafford
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Despite barely featuring for the Reds, Jones has still accrued enormous wealth
Born in Preston, Lancashire, on February 21st, 1992, Philip Anthony Jones came through the youth ranks at Blackburn Rovers before quickly establishing himself as a defender of real promise.
Physically strong and with an instinctual reading of danger, Jones could play at centre-back, right-back or in midfield, and so assured was he in each role that it wasn’t long before Manchester United came calling, bidding £16.5m for his services in 2011.
Just two years after making his professional debut, the teenager was now playing for the champions of England, under arguably the greatest manager in Premier League history.
Initially, the young defender thrived, helping his new team secure yet another league crown in 2013 and putting in performances that saw him compared to former legends, but sadly this is a career defined by injuries and lots of them.
At the age of 30, Jones has made 204 top-flight appearances but really, it should be considerably more.
Still, he has a medal haul many other footballers would envy, while a decade at Old Trafford has furnished Jones with enormous wealth.
Net Worth
The Manchester United star has a net worth reputed to be in the region of £18m, a figure that’s an unimaginable fortune to most of us but is hardly excessive for a Premier League footballer of 13 years standing. Which is why some context is required.
Firstly, fair or otherwise, defenders are rarely the highest paid players at a club, and this explains why so many of Jones’ team-mates are considerably richer.
By playing in more advanced positions, they are the headline-makers, the marquee names, and subsequently their earning power is far greater.
Jones’ persistent injury concerns are also a factor, with diminished game-time leading to the defender becoming a peripheral figure at Old Trafford in recent years.
His salary duly reflects this and presently his deal runs at £75,000 a week, or £3.9m per year.
It is telling that regular first-team defenders at United are on significantly more, with Luke Shaw, for example, earning exactly double this number. Raphael Varane earns Jones’ annual salary every two-and-a-half months.
By staying loyal to United, it’s also pertinent that Jones has not benefited from any signing-on fees since 2011, while his long-term absences have seriously decreased his playing bonuses.
It should not be under-estimated to what extent bonuses boost a footballer’s coffers.
Regardless, Jones need not seek out any pay-day loans anytime soon, residing in a £5m mansion in Alderley Edge and driving a £200,000 customised Bentley.
Manchester United
Jones impressed from the off on joining United, excelling in a number of different positions and playing with a composure that belied his lack of experience.
Naturally therefore, a good amount of hype grew around this young prodigy, with Sir Bobby Charlton claiming that the teenager reminded him of the great Duncan Edwards.
England boss Fabio Capello meanwhile, compared Jones to the incomparable Franco Baresi when introducing the youngster to the international scene.
Perhaps, the biggest compliment was paid by Sir Alex Ferguson, who said in 2013: “The way he is looking, he could be our best ever player.”
Regrettably, a succession of injuries eventually saw his star fade, with a series of hamstring, ankle and toe problems vastly reducing his output and ultimately curtailing his potential.
Jones is currently seeing out the final year of his contract with the Red Devils and with the Premier League betting odds suggesting a new dawn is imminent at United under Erik Ten Hag, we are unlikely to see the 30-year-old remain a Premier League player for too much longer.
Injuries
Blighted by injuries throughout his career, Jones can curse his rotten fortune more than most.
At Blackburn a torn knee cartilage was a sign of things to come, but he recovered fully and made his big-money move to Manchester United with a clean bill of health.
Sadly, in 2013 the same knee flared up again, keeping him out of action for two months and worse was to come when a shoulder complaint had him in the treatment room for two months more.
Then came the hamstring problems, followed by a succession of ankle problems that kept him on the side-lines for weeks, sometimes months at a time.
By his late-twenties, rival supporters had cruelly made him a figure of fun due to his seemingly constant fitness issues while United fans had by now long given up on the faint hope of a career resurrection.
Remarkably, fate had held back its worst twist for last. In the summer of 2020 yet another knee injury was so severe it necessitated well over a year of rehab and this proved to be the final straw for the beleaguered star.
“My head was an absolute mess,” Jones relayed to the BBC in 2021, adding that he had been ‘to hell and back’.
England
According to the sports betting, the Three Lions are third favourites to lift the World Cup this winter and it must be an additional source of great frustration to Jones that he is no longer part of the international set-up, due to circumstances beyond his control.
Making his England debut in 2011, under Capello, the defender went on to make 27 appearances for his country, a scant return for a player of such rare promise.
What stands out from these is not any exceptional displays, nor any notably disappointing ones, but rather the number of major tournaments he has been a part of.
Jones has been to two World Cup and a Euro Championships despite barely featuring in any qualifiers or friendlies.
Family
The United star met Kaya Hall in 2011 and six years later the couple wed in a low-key ceremony at a church close to their home in Cheshire.
Several of Jones’ team-mates were present, including Wayne Rooney, but this was not a typical footballer wedding but rather a traditional affair centred around family.
One year after they wed, Kaya gave birth to daughter Alaria, born just prior to Jones’ surprise inclusion in England’s World Cup squad.
The couple are steadfastly private by nature, keeping public appearances to a minimum save for club and charity events and epitomising this is Kaya’s Instagram account that has a mere 369 followers.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 1st September 2022
