Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has set an objective to return to the club ‘one day’ as a coach.
It has been almost eight months since Phil Jones announced his retirement as a footballer after spending 12 years at Manchester United – many of which were ruined by injury.
The 33-year-old left United at the end of the 2022/23 season, with his last appearance coming 12 months earlier in a 3-0 win over Brentford.
Jones, who was capped 27 times for England, was forced to retire early after a series of bad injury setbacks.
The former centre-back won the 2013 Premier League title in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season as United manager. He went on to add the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League to his trophy haul in 2016 and 2017.
Jones suffered a lot throughout his career, but he still feels he has more to offer the sport, and is now doing his coaching badges.
Phil Jones wants to become Manchester United coach
Although Phil Jones has helped out with United’s U18s since announcing his retirement, it is understood that he is not employed by the club.
Jones’ role in United’s academy was extended into this season while he studied for his coaching badges.
“When I finished, I was unsure where I wanted to go,” Jones told The Hindustan Times. “I wanted to be in football, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was.
“I was allowed to go back into the club to work with the U18s and help them out. It’s something I really enjoyed doing.”
Earlier this year, Jones enrolled in the UEFA Pro Licence course with the Football Association. That is the final step for elite-level coach in Europe so the former United defender has come a long way in a short space of time.
“It’s an amazing course with the FA,” he added. “We get some of the top coaches and top managers coming through it.
“It’s a great networking opportunity, a great chance to be with people who ate striving for the same goal. That’s my goal now.
“As a little boy, I wanted to be a professional footballer, and now that I’m on the other side of it, I’m passionate about this.”
When asked about returning to United as a full-time coach, Jones responded: “Maybe one day. I’m still developing, still learning as a young coach.
“Still developing my skills and how to communicate and connect with players. Tactically, too, both on and off the pitch. There are a lot of things I need to improve on. But hopefully, one day.”
Jones still watches Manchester United regularly
After a 12-year stint at Old Trafford, Phil Jones remains emotionally attached to Manchester United.
It has been a turbulent season for the Reds, with Erik ten Hag sacked and replaced by Ruben Amorim, who has United sitting 13th in the Premier League – 15 points adrift of the top four.
Jones will have a keen eye on United’s Europa League quarter-final clash against Lyon.
| Games | Goals | Assists |
| 229 | 6 | 8 |
The former United defender shared his thoughts on what has been a ‘difficult season’ for United, but he isn’t giving up on Amroim’s chances of delivering European success.
“It has been a difficult season. There’s no getting away from that,” he added.
“As difficult as it is on the pitch, we still have something to fight for in the Europa League. There are chances we can still get the Champions League qualification through the Europa League.
“There’s still hope, and there’s a great opportunity that we can progress and get the Champions League football next season.”
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