Solskjaer defends Jones from criticism of Ferdinand

[ad_1]

Soccer Football – Premier League – Southampton v Manchester United – St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, Great Britain – August 22, 2021 Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer watches REUTERS / Peter Nicholls

Aug 28 (Reuters) – Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended Phil Jones after his former teammate Rio Ferdinand slammed the 29-year-old earlier this week.

Jones, who spent a decade with injuries at the club, played a closed-door friendly against Burnley earlier this month – his first game since making the FA Cup third round last year against Tranmere Rovers in January.

Ferdinand said Jones “should have left a long time ago” and claimed he “took the place of a young player” as he continued to recover from a knee injury.

“Phil had a horrible 18-19 months and probably a year before that too with injuries,” Solskjaer said. “Phil is a simple guy, keep it up. I think that was completely irrelevant (from Ferdinand).

“I know more than anyone what it feels like to be injured at this point. He’s not yet 30 years old. Since I came here he has struggled with that knee injury, put his body in. danger … he never did anything other than give his all for the club.

“I was out for two years out of a three-year period with a knee injury. Phil fought valiantly… He will be there. For me as a manager, seeing that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel is great because I went through the same thing. “

United on Friday reached an agreement to re-sign Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, subject to personal conditions, a visa and a medical examination. Read more

Solskjaer’s side, who drew 1-1 at Southampton in the Premier League last weekend, travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Michael Perry

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[ad_2]