Phil Jones opens up on the abuse he faced during his injury nightmare at Man United and his shame at facing his team-mates – as he reveals what his coping mechanism was

Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has laid bare the extent of the abuse he received during his brutal injury nightmare at Old Trafford.

Jones, 32, spent 12 years with the Red Devils between 2011 and 2023 but chose to end his playing career in August and begin his coaching badges.

The centre back suffered from a plague of fitness issues during his time on the pitch, stretching back to his years as a teenager at his childhood club, Blackburn.

He recently admitted to feeling mental ‘trauma’ from online criticism and was hesitant to leave the house after hearing whispers from trolls in the street. 

Jones’ embarrassment even extended to the United dressing room, where he felt ashamed of his injury woes and the lengthy treatment he required. 

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: ‘It got so bad for a while that I would be walking down the street, worried about what people would say to me in case I got abuse, and thinking about what I’d say next. 

‘I just wanted to keep my head down when I was in a crowd, and it was the same on social media, which is why I came off it for a while.

‘If you knew me, you knew all I wanted was to be able to play football – but it is as if people thought I just woke up each morning and decided I was injured.

‘You want to say something back, especially when they said it to my face, but it has never been in my character to do that. I’ve always been humble and down to earth, and I’ve never taken myself too seriously.

‘So for me to feel that way was hard, and it would get to me. 

‘I was ashamed that I was injured, to the extent I didn’t even want to speak to my team-mates, and I was embarrassed going into the club every day just for treatment.’

Jones made 229 appearances during his lengthy spell with United and was part of the team which won the Premier League in 2012-13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. He also added a Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup to his trophy cabinet.

Now looking to take his first step into management, Jones is hopeful players will learn from his mistakes and avoid bottling their mental anguish up.

‘Unfortunately there were times when I was at United when I did not look for help,’ he added. ‘My coping mechanism when I had any problems was to stay silent, and that was probably my downfall. I didn’t open up to anyone.

‘I would hide my injuries from other players and the staff. I put a shield up so no-one knew what was going on, apart from my close family.

‘One of my lowest moments was when I was trying to play through the pain of my knee injury, when it had got to a point where the doctor had to inject my knee before every game I played so I didn’t feel it.

‘I was on the bench for a game at Brighton but one of our centre halves was struggling in the warm-up, so I thought I would be pro-active and get the injection before kick-off.

‘It was embarrassing for me because I didn’t want anyone to see that I was struggling, or in pain – I was meant to be a tough guy as a defender, remember. 

‘So I went into a cubicle in the changing room just as the manager started his pre-match talk, and got the doc to inject me in there.’