Rijo Sam Daniel
Transfer News: Leicester City opted against signing Manchester United star Phil Jones in January
According to The Athletic (h/t LeicestershireLive), Leicester City had decided not to pursue Manchester United star defender Phil Jones in the January transfer window. They had planned to target him on a loan move before opting against it due to concerns regarding his fitness.
Jones was subjected to interest from Bordeaux as they tried to get him temporarily this winter transfer window. However, the central defender refused to move to Ligue 1 and is set to stay with Man United for the remainder of this season. Leicester had also plotted a plan to sign him as they wanted a centre-back on loan.
However, Brendan Rodger’s side backtracked on their interest due to the Englishman’s injury woes. Not to mention, they also realised that he does not suit the profile that is needed. They wanted someone similar to Wesley Fofana, which explains why they put an end to their approach in an instant.
What’s next?
Now that the 29-year-old will stay with us for this campaign, we have to look towards getting the best out of this situation. It would have helped us if the Foxes had made a late try for the defender, but that was not the case. But we cannot dwell on the past as we have to find a suitable solution.
The Red Devils star has been injury-prone throughout his time with us, which creates a cause of concern among many. But if he could keep his fitness in check, he could be useful for us in the long season ahead. After all, he had an excellent performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers and could deputies for us in defence when the situation calls for it.
That’s not all, as we are engaged in the FA Cup and the Champions League, we might need to use the depth to its fullest. Ralf Rangick will have five centre-backs in total, allowing him to make necessary rotations to keep the squad fresh. Moreover, the manager had mentioned earlier that he could try to implement a back three system.
More Manchester United News
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- Manchester United dealt blow from Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham amidst Liverpool interest
- Edwin van der Sar appears to show his frustration at how Manchester United treated Donny van de Beek
We could enjoy some benefits due to the England international staying with us for all these reasons. Whether he will gain more prominence or not remains to be seen in the coming months. Let’s hope that if the centre-back does get more minutes, he will have similar displays to what he did against Wolves.
