This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
In his column for The Daily Mail, Martin Keown has slammed Manchester United defender Phil Jones for his horror showing against Sheffield United.
What did he say?
The England international came into the starting line-up against the Blades on Sunday afternoon, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for a back-three. However, in a truly forgettable display that culminated with him being hooked at half-time, Jones was bullied off the ball by Lys Mousset which eventually led to the opening goal of the game.
And after seeing his performance, Keown slammed the defender for his role in the build-up to the goal, and also took aim at Solskjaer for his part in both selecting him and the way in which he changes his tactics for the clash.
He said: “His career has certainly not gone the way (Sir Alex) Ferguson hoped. Had the Scot been in charge on Sunday, you wonder whether he would have hauled him off after 15 minutes. Jones always looked problematic in that back line, then he was at fault for the opening goal. Instead of pumping the ball into row Z — like he should have done — he allowed Lys Mousset to take it off him.
“No defender should let that happen or even take the chance. Maybe there was a hint of a foul, but Jones needed to be more dominant, more assertive, more clever. I’m surprised Solskjaer opted for three at the back in the first place. Maybe he wanted to match up with the hosts, but it only created confusion. The man he shoehorned into the team made a mistake and it left United chasing the game.”
Inexplicable
Jones’ performance against Chris Wilder’s men at the weekend looked decidedly rusty. The 27-year-old has barely featured in the United first-team this season, making just four appearances across all competitions. And then, rather inexplicably, Solskjaer decided that he wanted to throw him in away against the Blades – a side that had already beaten fellow top-four contenders Arsenal 1-0.
[ad_pod ]
The likes of Axel Tuanzebe and Marcos Rojo have seemingly moved ahead of the former Blackburn man in the pecking order for a place at centre-back, and being substituted at half-time will certainly have done his long-term United career no favours. But perhaps the blame should squarely lay on the shoulders of the Red Devils’ boss, who decided to put him in the side in the first place.
Meanwhile, Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has delivered an ominous warning to the rest of the Premier League.
