"He should’ve gone ages ago!" - Rio Ferdinand on forgotten Manchester United star

Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand took to his YouTube channel on Saturday to question Phil Jones' continued presence at Manchester United. The 29-year-old defender has barely featured for the club in recent years due to form and fitness issues. He made his last league appearance during the 2019-20 campaign.

🗣 Rio Ferdinand: "I am baffled at how he [Phil Jones] is still been given a new deal at the club given his past few years at the club. It just doesn’t make sense to me how you get a new deal." [YT: FIVE]

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) August 24, 2021

Despite his lack of playing time, Manchester United shocked everyone and decided to hand Phil Jones a new contract back in February 2019.

On his YouTube channel Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, Ferdinand said:

“He’s taking up a youth team player’s position in that squad right now. He’s had too many injuries…I was in the same team as Phil Jones, he came from Blackburn as a young kid, everyone was saying he was going to be this great player. Huge potential but injuries have absolutely annihilated his career and then confidence issues at certain times as well.”

Rio Ferdinand questions Phil Jones' decision to stay at Manchester United

Phil Jones in action for Manchester United

According to Rio Ferdinand, Jones has never been able to establish himself at the club, whether it was due to injuries, lack of form, or lack of confidence.

“I think he should’ve gone ages ago. He should’ve gone before Chris Smalling went. Find a new club and play some football. He’s lacked consistency throughout his career at Man United. That’s a fact, for all the reasons I stated before,” added Ferdinand.

Stating that Phil Jones had done well to stay at Manchester United but questioning his character as a footballer all the same, Rio Ferdinand said:

“Staying at Man United is a great gig, but I look at him as a person. Are you really going to be happy sitting there all these years? To be fair to Phil Jones, I’ve not seen him come out and speak and clarify. He might have had injuries we don’t know about. But if he’s been fit and has been sitting there like he has been, sign a new deal and stay and not go out on loan. That’s not what a footballer wants to do.”

The potential for Phil Jones to leave Manchester United summer was there, but the player has reportedly been unable to prove his fitness to prospective buyers

— utdreport (@utdreport) August 24, 2021

On a harsher note, Rio Ferdinand said that if he was in the squad, he would not even talk to someone like Phil Jones and that it would be a waste of his time and energy. He added that he would much rather dedicate that to those "who are here to play and go into battle for 90 minutes every week."