Phil Jones ranks ‘great’ former Man Utd manager ahead of Arne Slot & Ruben Amorim

Phil Jones recently spoke to Planet Football and explained his admiration for one of Manchester United‘s former managers.

The 33-year-old racked up 229 appearances for the Red Devils and won five trophies during that time, including a Premier League title.

Jones played under several different managers during his time at Old Trafford, but has always spoken particularly fondly of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

While interviewing Jones at the Pro Am Padel Tour, we got the former United defender to stay silent until he heard a better manager than Solskjaer.

We rattled through Frank Lampard, Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and current United boss Ruben Amorim without Jones batting an eyelid.

He also stayed silent while we named Thomas Frank, Ange Postecoglou and even Arne Slot, until he eventually conceded when Pep Guardiola’s name was mentioned.

“Ole was great,” Jones told Planet Football.

“We had Ole, we had Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna. Michael did brilliant at Middlesbrough and Kieran McKenna has done fantastic at Ipswich and is still continuing that.

“Those three were really, really good. We had that season just after lockdown when there was no crowd and we were really good.”

It’s no secret that Jones struggled with injuries towards the tail-end of his career, but Solskjaer especially always seemed to have his back.

During a separate interview from 2021, Jones praised Solskjaer for the support that he always showed towards him and the rest of the squad.

“There’s nothing [that means] more [as] a footballer, for someone, managers, staff, coaches, players, to have your back,” Jones told the UTD Podcast in 2021.

“To feel really supported by him was a nice feeling.”

Jones went on to priase Solskjaer for the way he instantly changed the mood around the club after taking over from Jose Mourinho.

“I think it was exactly what we needed at the time, someone who knew the club,” Jones said.

“He knew it inside out, won so many things, so that was important. Until the end of that season, it was just about enjoying playing football again.

“I think we lost enjoying playing, going onto the pitch on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesday nights, whenever it was.

“He definitely brought that back, the lads were smiling, the lads were happy.

“I’m not saying it wasn’t like that under Jose at all but I’m saying that different styles, managers have different impacts and yeah, he was great.”

Since leaving United in 2021, the Norwegian coach has had a stint with Besiktas, but is now without a job after being sacked in August.

During his time in Turkey, he boasted a win percentage of 51.72%, but lost his job after Besiktas lost in the Conference League play-offs.

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