Former Manchester United defender, Phil Jones, admits he is nice to Mason Mount -Ui Luke Shaw, acknowledging the difficult periods undergoing permanent injuries.
Jones, whose career was seriously disturbed by long -term problems with fitness, admitted that he once felt “shameful” because of his own injuries at Old Trafford.
Mount and Shaw have put aside from the beginning of December, and the first dealing with the knee problem, and the latter brought a calf injury.
Ever since he arrived from Chelsea in a move of £ 55m 2022, Mount has already missed 51 games for United.
Meanwhile, Shaw, who signed from Southampton for £ 27m in 2014, spent more time on the injury list than on the United field.
Jones, who was forced to retire in 2023 at the age of 31, after fighting an injury during his 12-year career at Old Trafford, said he understood the mental and emotional toll of those who could have, especially when confronted with criticism of fans on social media.
“I’m so sorry Mason and Luke,” Jones said. “I know exactly what they feel. It was an almost unpleasant feeling for me because you are in Man United, the biggest club in the world, and all you want to do is play football.
🚨🚨🎙️ | Phil Jones on leaving Manchester United WhatsApp Group:
“You’ve been to WhatsApp (Group) for years, sending people’s pictures and all kinds, guys would have a field day,” he says with a laugh.
“I remember sitting in the bedroom, going like,” guys, that’s … pic.twitter.com/zvqf92RHQ0
– Centredevils. (@CentRevils) March 19, 2025
“I loved playing football. I didn’t do it for any other reason, I just loved playing football as a little kid, and when you can’t do something, something took away.
“Hard to face with. You have fans, you have social media so I can absolutely sympathize with them [Mount and Shaw]. “
Despite the prefabricated pressure of the fans to return, Jones emphasized that the injured players must ensure that they are physically and mentally ready before returning.
Shaw, in particular, faced surveillance after presenting England at the Euro 2024 for England, despite the fights with injuries during the previous season.
“What I would say is that they have to go back to a state where they feel comfortable playing,” Jones added.
“Medical staff will always try to promote these days to come back before, but they must feel good in themselves and feel safe that they are ready to come back and play and compete at a high level.
“So, I absolutely sympathize with them. It’s a real, really terrible difficult place to be.”
