Surajit Das
Transfer News: Bordeaux chief Admar Lopes has convinced Manchester United star Phil Jones to join them
According to transfer news from Foot Mercato (h/t SportsWitness), Manchester United star Phil Jones is set to join French outfit, Bordeaux, on loan after president Admar Lopes was successful in his effort to convince him.
Once seen as one of the most promising young defenders, injuries have largely seen Jones fail to hit the expected heights at Old Trafford. The 29-year-old has missed 205 games due to various issues during his 11-year stay at Old Trafford.
In the first week of January, Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly suffered injuries and had to be sidelined. Amid such a situation, interim manager Ralf Rangnick called Phil Jones to feature against Wolves. The central defender gave an excellent display that impressed the Old Trafford fans. However, soon after returning the first-choice centre-backs, he was again left on the bench. It remains his only senior appearance for the club this season.
Lately, Bordeaux showed an interest in loaning him for the rest of the season to tackle their defensive dilemma. It is also believed that the president of the French team, Admar Lopes, personally contacted the Man United star in what is aptly termed as a ‘seduction operation.’
It seems to have succeeded as Phil Jones is convinced to take the opportunity and is expected to join Bordeaux in the coming days. At 29, he has a few more years left in him and could yet enjoy a few more years at the top.
An advantageous move for United?
Despite being with our first team for the last ten years, Jones is yet to showcase a consistent spell of top-level performances. Considering his spells in the previous two seasons, getting first-team game time would be challenging. In contrast, playing with a team like Bordeaux would give him better opportunities to rekindle his form.
However, loaning him wouldn’t solve our team’s defensive problems. We do have big names, but the defence has been as porous as a sieve at times. Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly made several blunders in the first half of the season that put our team on the backfoot.
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If we want to secure a better position in the league table and claim silverware in this term, we can’t entirely depend on the forward line. Loaning Jones would clear out our wage bills and attract some other players who could come in and make a difference. Just what this potential move could do to Jones and his long term ambitions at Old Traford remains to be seen.
