Phil Jones has broken his silence on Manchester United’s decision to fire Erik ten Hag and has claimed the Dutchman might have been ‘irritated’ in his final few months at Old Trafford.
The 54-year-old was finally sacked following months of speculation, during which time the Red Devils slumped to 14th in the Premier League.
Things came to a head last week as United continued their woeful Europa League campaign with a chaotic 1-1 draw against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce before succumbing to a last-minute defeat by West Ham on Sunday.
The Red Devils have been closing in on Ruben Amorim as his successor, with Sporting Lisbon announcing on Tuesday that the English giants plan to pay the €10million (£8.5m) release clause to buy the boss out of his contract.
Now ex-United defender Jones, who was left out in the cold by Ten Hag on his arrival in 2022, has given his thoughts on the manager’s dismissal and shared an insight on what it was like to play under him, in an interview with BBC’s Planet Premier League.
Phil Jones has broken his silence on Manchester United ‘s decision to fire Erik ten Hag
The ex-Red Devils defender said: ‘He probably got a bit irritated by people questioning him’
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim is being lined up as the next name in the Old Trafford hot seat
He said: ‘I literally went out on the grass and I knew that was my last training session anyway, so it’s very difficult for me to even comprehend what he was saying.
‘I think he’s very proud of what he did at Ajax and I think he backed himself to make good decisions.
‘I don’t think he’s too bothered about what people think in terms of decisions he’s making but then again you look towards the end of his tenure at United and you think he probably got a bit irritated by people questioning him, hence his response every time about winning the two trophies.’
Jones suggested that United’s woes, which trace back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013 shortly after the defender joined, run deeper than simply the man at the helm.
‘I think if you look back to the Sir Alex Ferguson days, I think it was a case of you score four, we’ll score five, you score three, we’ll score four. And that was the emphasis.
‘In terms of the identity, we’ve lost so much identity over the years and it’s been a process of slowly but surely just getting further away from where we need to be.
‘I look at the people in and around the training ground on a day to day and those people who are no longer at the club… They’re the bread and butter of the football club. They know the football club inside and out.
‘I think you’ve got to go back to basics. We all want fast attacking, flowing football, loads of chances created, loads of excitement in the stadium, but unfortunately, I think we’re going to have to strip it right the way back and say we’re gonna be really solid, we’re gonna be really compact and hard to beat and be horrible to play against.
Ten Hag’s record at Manchester United across all competitions since his arrival in 2022
Things came to a head last week as United succumbed to a last-minute defeat to West Ham
Jones revealed he had retired from football in August after being frozen out at Old Trafforf
Jones was part of the team which won the Premier League in 2012-13 in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season
‘We need to do that but listen it’s going to be a tough job for any manager coming in.’
The defender revealed in August that he had retired from professional football, having assumed a role on the sidelines last September assisting the Red Devils’ under-14 and under-18 teams under lead coach Adam Lawrence.
The 32-year-old, who often showed his versatility by filling in at full-back or in midfield, made 229 appearances in an injury-hit 12 years at the club.
Jones was part of the team which won the Premier League in 2012-13, as legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson walked away after 27 years at the club, and in the next decade added a Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup to his trophy cabinet.
Amorim’s arrival in the United hot seat edges ever closer but this morning, an official Sporting source insisted an agreement is yet to be reached between the two clubs, with Sporting yet to receive a fee for the Portuguese boss’s contract to be terminated.
Mail Sport reported on Wednesday night that the Red Devils are closing in on sealing the services of the 39-year-old on a two-and-a-half year deal to replace ten Hag.
United are believed to have agreed to pay Sporting £9.2m in compensation, with Amorim expected to join the club after the November international break.
Ineos director Sir Dave Brailsford appeared to confirm the deal on Wednesday night when he told fans outside Old Trafford ‘yeah, it’s done’ following United’s 5-2 win over Leicester.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is expected to remain in interim charge for United’s next three matches as they look to finalise a deal for Amorim
Man United suffered their fourth league defeat of the season against West Ham on Sunday
But they bounced back with a dominant performance in their first outing since Ten Hag’s sacking in the Carabao Cup against Leicester
With United still working to complete their swoop for Amorim, Ruud van Nistelrooy took charge of the team for their Carabao Cup tie against Leicester on Wednesday night.
United delivered a dominant performance in their first outing since Ten Hag’s sacking, as Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes both scored twice, while Alejandro Garnacho also got on the scoresheet.
The 13-time Premier League champions are through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals where they will visit Tottenham after the north London club edged past Manchester City 2-1 on Wednesday evening.
