Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones said that he was “embarrassed” from injuries who convicted their career in Old Trafford and admitted that he sympathizes on “terrible difficult space” with Mason Mount and Luke Shaw, with his recurrent fitness problems in the club.
Both Mount and Shaw have been out of action since early December due to hamstring and calf injuries.
Mount, after signing £ 55 million ($ 71.3m) from Chelsea in 2022, has missed the first-team game for United since its arrival from Stamford Bridge, while Shaw has played for clubs since completing £ 27 million ($ 35m) from Southampton in 2014.
But Jones, whose 12-year-old united career was derailed from the succession of long-term injuries before his retirement at the age of 31 in 2023, he said that he can sympathize with the challenges faced by both Mount and Shaw as they try to achieve full fitness at the same time, as they were trying to get full fitness, as the coach was a coach as a coach.
“I think I am very sorry for Mason and Luke,” Jones told reporters. “I know what they are feeling. For me, it was almost an embarrassing feeling because you are in Man United, the world’s largest club and what you want to do is to play football.
“I loved playing football. I didn’t do it for any other reason, I just loved playing football like a small child, and when you can’t do anything, you have been taken away to something away.
“It is difficult to deal with this. You have fans, you have social media, so I can fully sympathize with them (Mount and Shaw).”
Despite being under pressure to return to action by fans – Shaw, especially, has been criticized after playing for England in the Euro 2024 despite prolonged problems in the last season – Jones said that players should only return to action when they feel ready to do so.
“What would I say that they have come back to a situation where they feel comfortable playing,” Jones said.
“Medical staff will always try these days and will promote you to come back soon, but they are feeling right in themselves and feeling confident that they are ready to come back and play and compete at a higher level.
“So I fully sympathize with them. This is really, really terrible difficult place.”
