Is Phil Jones actually available for Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final fixture against Brighton?
In such a short space of time, Manchester United now have somewhat of an injury crisis on their hands, particularly at the back.
Following the clash at Old Trafford with Sevilla in the Europa League, United’s starting two centre-backs – Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez both failed to finish the game, which has left fans worried as to who will step up to lead the back line going into the final stage of the campaign.
The obvious pairing is Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, which is reminiscent of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era, however, the FA Cup semi-final tie is an issue as United’s captain is suspended. So this begs the question… is Phil Jones available?
Will Phil Jones play against Brighton in the FA Cup?
In short, it is probably still unlikely that Phil Jones will play against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final, however, the English defender is eligible should Erik ten Hag want to call upon his services.
Jones has only featured six times since 2019, which is simply ludicrous for a first-team player. It would be a major risk to play him in a game of significant importance.
Ten Hag does have other options defensively. Casemiro can slot into the role very comfortably and will most likely partner Lindelof with Scott McTominay then taking the central defensive midfielder spot.
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It’s not ideal for United in an important fixture, but this is why versatility and squad depth is vitally important at the highest level.
Games are coming thick and fast for the Red Devils and with injury problems now a real issue – it’ll be interesting to see how the squad adapts.