Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has reportedly kicked out Phil Jones and four other players from the club’s first-team dressing room in order to make space for new signings.
The Red Devils’ first-team training facility at Carrington is built to hold no more than 24 players and has been filled to capacity following Manchester United’s summer spending spree.
And out-of-favour centre-back Jones is apparently one of the victims of United’s locker room purge, adding to his ill-fated Old Trafford career.
According to the Sun, third-choice left-back Brandon Williams, Teden Mengi, and fellow centre-half Axel Tuanzebe have also been forced to collect their belongings and go down the corridor to the under-23 changing room.
Ten Hag’s decision is the latest setback for Phil Jones, who was set to leave at the end of the summer. Williams and Tuanzebe were also available for transfer during the window, but Ten Hag was hesitant to lose the trio due to injury, which hampered their prospects of moving.
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The former England international has only made 13 appearances for Manchester United in his last four seasons, and he made his first appearance in two years in January, when the Red Devils lost 1-0 to Wolves.
Phil Jones has only made a few senior appearances due to a string of injuries over the last four years. His last outing for United was in a 1-0 loss to Wolves in January, his first in two years.
Williams is unlikely to be given a reprieve anytime soon after Malacia’s excellent reaction to life at Old Trafford, while Tuanzebe and Jones have fallen even further down the pecking order with the arrival of Martinez, who has struck up an instant rapport with Raphael Varane.
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