‘Talks opened’ – French club ‘extremely interested’ in Man Utd defender

Lewis Oldham
Man Utd defender Jones

According to reports, French side Bordeaux are “extremely interested” in signing Man Utd defender Phil Jones and they have “opened talks” with the Red Devils.

The defender has played 225 times for Man Utd since the start of the 2011/12 campaign. He has barely featured for them over the past couple of years.

Jones did not play once for United last season as he struggled with injuries. He made a rare appearance earlier this month as he played against Wolves in the Premier League.

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Fabrizio Romano has now revealed via Twitter that Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux are “extremely interested” in Jones.

Eric Bailly has also been linked with a move away from this month but Romano has confirmed that he will not be leaving.

He adds that Bordeaux are “waiting” for Ralf Rangnick’s “final decision” regarding Jones’ future at Man Utd.

Earlier this month, Rio Ferdinand claimed his criticism of Jones last year was “misinterpreted”.

He also praised the defender for his performance in a 1-0 defeat to Wolves.

“For someone to come in from the cold like that. You have to tip your hat to someone like that,” Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five Youtube channel.

“They’re playing him maybe to put him in the shop window. First and foremost, but if he plays well enough the manager might change his mind. That can happen in football very quickly.

“I’m just pleased he got through the game unscathed, no injuries. He put in a decent performance after such a long time out, not easy to do. So you’ve got to tilt your hat to Phil Jones.

“He’s come in for a lot of stick, a lot of my words have been misinterpreted a little bit. But you’ve got to say, ‘well done’ in terms of the amount of time he’s been off the pitch, to come in and play in the Premier League and play at the standard he did today.

“Albeit, his header was the one that fell to Moutinho’s foot before he scored but I thought he was class for long periods in the game.”

Manchester United Bordeaux