Phil Jones was dubbed as one of the world’s finest upcoming defenders when he completed his move from Blackburn Rovers to Manchester United in 2011. Unfortunately, an injury-plagued career has seen him make less than 250 appearances in almost 12 years. A multitude of injuries have ruled the 31-year-old out for lengthy spells on multiple occasions.
In June 2020, Jones suffered a knee injury and made only a couple of Premier League appearances between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. The injury that kept the defender on the sidelines for 78 games came a year after he signed a four-year extension under former coach Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Understandably, Jones’ paycheck was nowhere near the salaries of players in contention to be regular inclusions in the club’s starting eleven. However, considering the fact that the 31-year-old may never play for United again, he was given a decent deal that sees him earn more money than full-back Diogo Dalot, who recently scored his first Premier League goal.
Manchester United signed a promising 19-year-old Jones for £16 million in 2011, after which there was a spurt in his market value. However, that same value has come crashing down to £1 million. Despite that, the defender earns £75,000 per week under his new contract that will expire in June this year.
As things stand, Jones is earning as much as Tyrell Malacia and earning more than Dalot, who, shockingly, only makes £25,000 per week. Jones is also earning more than Scott McTominay. The Scottish midfielder secures just £60,000 a week on a contract that expires in 2025. Right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka earns £90,000, which is only £15,000 more than Jones’ wage.
After signing the contract extension in 2019, Jones has made just six appearances to date. Meanwhile, at the end of his contract this June, he will have earned a total of £15.6 million under his current contract, despite playing less than ten games for Manchester United. According to that number, each of the defender’s appearances has been worth £2.6 million.
According to media outlets, Jones’ first contract at Manchester United was worth £59,000 per week and saw him earn £3.1 million annually and £12.4 million over four years. That contract expired in 2015, and the defender was offered a renewal with an increased weekly wage of £74,000 as he made £3.9 million annually and £15.6 million till 2019.
During his 12-year stint at the club, Jones has played about 230 games for Manchester United. At the same time, the defender has made about £43.6 million. Each appearance of the defender now has a worth of £189,565. His last appearance was as a substitute last year in May when Manchester United beat Brentford 3-0 at Old Trafford in the league.
Spectators have not seen Phil Jones start a game or be on the bench since then. The club has stuck by the player through all his injuries, and the 31-year-old is still eagerly looking for action on the pitch. However, the defender does not seem to be a part of Erik Ten Hag’s plan and is almost certain to leave Old Trafford as a free agent this summer.
