Phil Jones has been widely praised by Manchester United supporters on social media, after the centre-back made his long-awaited return to action following a two-year battle with injury.
With Eric Bailly set to join up with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, Victor Lindelof isolating with COVID-19 and Harry Maguire nursing an injury, Jones was selected to start alongside Raphael Varane on Monday night.
The Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers represented a significant milestone for Phil, whose previous first-team appearance came against Tranmere Rovers in January 2020.
Jones has been working diligently on his fitness for several months and that hard work allowed him to produce an eye-catching performance on what was otherwise a disappointing night for United.
“Phil Jones should be proud of himself,”
said Luke Shaw. “I think he’s been criticised for a number of years constantly, people always getting at him but he’s stuck by it, he’s so professional, trains so hard and he got his chance tonight and I think he was phenomenal.”
Over on our official Facebook page, fans were quick to praise the 29-year-old’s return to action and how he has overcome the toughest stage of his career so far.
Here is a sample of the comments…
Vanessa Bentley: He was class. Well done Phil Jones, welcome back!
Carl Hermitt: Great to see everyone can appreciate how good he was, because he really was awesome.
Elizabeth Chinwendu Korie: It was a wonderful performance from Phil Jones. Keep it up.
Adam Pemberton: A lot of people laugh and joke about him, but he always gives 100% every time! True professional.
Nixon Chisonga: A good day at the office to Phil Jones. He brought a breath of fresh air to the defence. The combination of Varane and Jones is worth exploring more.
Dean Inglis: I hope he gets a good run in the team after tonight’s performance. Always focused on his job and 100% professional!
Lee Richardson: Best United player on the pitch tonight by far.
Supratik Das: Welcome back. It takes a lot of character to get back to this stage after almost two years and play like this. Inspirational!