Phil Jones opens up on the abuse he faced during his injury nightmare at Man United and his shame at facing his team-mates – as he reveals what his coping mechanism was
- The defender’s 12-year spell at Old Trafford was marred by a series of injuries
- He chose to retire in August and has started his coaching badges
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Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has exposed 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 opted to end his playing career in August and begin his coaching badges.
The centre-back suffered a plague of fitness problems during his time on the pitch, dating back to his years as a teenager at his boyhood club Blackburn.
He recently admitted that he had felt mental “trauma” from online criticism and hesitated to leave the house after hearing whispers from trolls on the street.
Jones’ shame even extended to the United dressing room, where he was ashamed of his injuries and the long-term treatment he required.
Phil Jones has opened up about the abuse he faced when injured at Manchester United
The centre-back admitted he was embarrassed to face his teammates due to his fitness issues
Speak with BBC Sportshe said, “It got so bad for a while that I would walk down the street, worried about what people would say to me if I was abused, and think about what I would say next.
“I just wanted to keep my head down when I was in a crowd, and on social media it was the same, so I stopped doing it for a while.
“If you knew me, you knew all I wanted was to be able to play football, but it’s like people thought I just woke up every morning and decided I was injured.
“You want to say something back, especially when they say it to my face, but it’s never in my character to do that. I have always been humble and down to earth, and I have never taken myself too seriously.
“So for me it was hard to get that feeling, and it would affect me.
‘I was ashamed of being injured, to the extent that I didn’t even want to talk to my teammates, and I was ashamed to go to the club every day alone for treatment.’
Jones won the Premier League title during Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at Old Trafford
But he suffered a series of setbacks during his 12 years at United before retiring
Jones made 229 appearances during his long spell at 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 hopes players will learn from his 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 problems was to keep quiet, 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 knew what was happening except my immediate family.
‘One of my lowest moments was when I was trying to deal with the pain of my knee injury, when it got to the point where the doctor had to inject my knee before every match I played so I couldn’t feel it anymore.
He hopes players will learn from his mistakes and avoid bottling up their problems
Jones coached United’s U18s last season and is aiming for a move into management
‘I was on the bench during a game at Brighton but one of our centre-halves was struggling in the warm-up so I thought I would 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. I was supposed to be a tough guy as a defender, remember.
‘So I went to a booth in the dressing room, just as the manager started his pre-match talk, and had the doctor inject me there.’
