Phil Jones has been linked with a loan move to West Brom in January (Getty Images)
According to a report from The Telegraph back in September, Newcastle United had been linked with a loan move for out-of-favour Manchester United centre-back Phil Jones. However, a temporary switch to Tyneside never quite materialised for the England international due to concerns over his fitness levels.
A youth exponent of Blackburn Rovers, Phil Jones made his first-team debut for his boyhood club during the 2009-10 season and established himself as a regular starter in the following campaign. His assured displays in the Premier League prompted then United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to bring him to Old Trafford in the summer of 2011.
Despite being tipped for stardom ever since his younger days at Blackburn, Jones has struggled to live up to his enormous potential at Man United due to his recurrent struggles with injuries over the years. The centre-back has missed over 120 games over the course of his nine-year career at Old Trafford, which pretty much sums up his patchy fitness record.
Jones, though, boasts of a good profile for a defender of his age. The 28-year-old has made 224 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, winning the Premier League title, FA Cup, and UEFA Europa League. He has also earned 27 caps for England, having represented his nation at the 2014 and the 2018 FIFA World Cups.
Newcastle have shown a great deal of improvement in their attacking play this season, with Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, and Jeff Hendrick arriving at the club. Allan Saint-Maximin has perhaps been the brightest spark in what has so far been a positive start to the season for the Magpies.
However, question marks continue to linger over the team’s defensive credentials. Newcastle shipped 58 goals in the Premier League last season, despite having plenty of centre-backs in their ranks, and they have continued to look vulnerable at the back this term as well. The most recent 4-1 hiding against Man United at home was a timely reminder of their flaws.
Paul Dummett and Ciaran Clark have endured an injury-stricken start to the campaign while Fabian Schar’s career at Tyneside has long been in a downward spiral due to loss of form. Florian Lejeune has been shipped out on loan to Alaves in Spain after struggling with injuries over the past few years, so Newcastle definitely need to restructure their backline.
To that end, though, January is hardly the ideal time to pull off attractive transfers and Newcastle might need to wait until next summer to reshuffle their defence. Signing a stop-gap during the mid-season window could, therefore, be a smart option and Phil Jones certainly fits the bill in that regard.
The 28-year-old has missed the opening few games for United this season due to a knee injury but he’s likely to be fit and ready for selection by the time the January window rolls around. Given that Solskjaer hasn’t looked too keen to rely on him over the past 12 months, the door remains open for Newcastle to take advantage of the situation with a loan bid.
Phil Jones hasn’t played a lot of football in recent times and despite all his struggles with injuries throughout his career, the 28-year-old’s quality as a centre-back can hardly be called into question.
The Preston-born star will be keen to rebuild his reputation when he returns from his knee problem. Newcastle could have quite a useful asset on their hands if they manage to extract the best out of him.