He hasn’t played much in the last two years, but Manchester United defender Phil Jones has still been left furious by his former teammate Rio Ferdinand’s recent criticism of him. Jones joined as a youngster from Blackburn in 2011 and started life well at Old Trafford.
But after being ravaged by injuries, poor form and having a whole host of new managers come and go, Jones has failed to make the first team spot his own.
Having mustered just eight appearances in two years, Jones recently spoke about his United hell in the club’s official podcast.
“It’s been tough,” he said.
“I think as a footballer, as a person, as a human being, that’s the lowest I probably ever felt in my life.
But after the comments Rio made, Jones has hit back at the former England international for his lack of respect.
“Listen, the respect I’ve got is enormous,” Jones told The Times.
“I’ve shared a dressing room with Rio — great professional. Loved playing with him. Great lad, good humour. Learnt so much off him.
“But what he said was poor. Really poor. I’m not into disputes, not into arguments, and if he didn’t know, he didn’t know.”
It remains to be seen if Jones can break back into the team at United, but it seems any respect he had for Ferdinand has now disappeared.