Sridhar Bhamidi
Manchester United are ready to award defender Phil Jones’ consistent displays this season with an improved contract, according to The Mirror. The Englishman is set to be offered a new deal worth £150,000 a week, which would make him one of the highest paid defenders in the country.
The 25-year-old has surprisingly become a key first-team player under manager Jose Mourinho after being left out in the cold by Louis van Gaal. In fact, the defender didn’t feature for Manchester United for even a single minute between January and November 2016.
Even for someone with a questionable fitness, that is very scarce action. However, he turned a leaf under Mourinho and ever since featuring in the 3-1 win over Swansea City last season, the England international has become an indispensable player for the side.
Surprisingly, his stream of dedicated and energetic displays won the faith of the fans too. Most of them have been surprised by his injury-free run this season although he blotted his book by picking up an injury against Huddersfield Town.
Looking at all this, it is no surprise that Jones is being offered a new deal worth £150,000-a-week. His current deal expires in 20 months and according to the Mirror’s Neil Moxley, the club wants to tie him up for the longer-term, sooner than later.
This is quite a turnaround for the player who has, for some time, been linked with the exit door, especially when he spent a lot of time on the peripheries of the first-team under Van Gaal.
Does Jones deserve this deal? It is a tribute to his fighting skills that the England international has improved his form to get back into Mourinho’s first-team plans. He has improved his fitness so much so that he is on the verge of becoming a key player for Gareth Southgate’s national side as well.
The defender is a key member of Mourinho’s plans and that should be reason enough to offer him a new deal. A considerable portion of United’s success this season is due to the defensive displays and Jones has a strong part in that.
There were reports last year when Jones was unsettled at the club that Arsenal could make a move for the defender. Now that he has improved his fitness and form, the list of suitors will be longer. That makes it even more prudent to tie him down to a new deal.
