Manchester United cult-hero Phil Jones sheds light on ‘ridiculous’ Ruben Amorim talk

Jones said that in his early career, he himself expressed anger at the coach many times, but later realised that the real problem often lies within the player. The former United player said that many young players call training useless in frustration, while the truth is that they are upset with their own situation. He admitted that with experience comes the understanding that the fault is not always of the management, but the player should also introspect. Jones believes that players often make the manager a scapegoat, while they themselves should look at their hard work and performance.

“Do I think there were players at United who didn’t like him? To be honest, that’s probably a ridiculous question because I’d say there are people in the United team now who don’t like the manager. 

“But there are probably players at Man City who feel the same way about [Pep] Guardiola; they can’t stand him. There are people like that in every team.

“These are big groups of players and different personalities, and all of them are competitive, and think they should be playing more than they are.

“That will never, ever change. Even when a manager is flying, there will always be someone going, ‘Well, he’s not playing me, so he’s not good.’ Trust me, I’ve been there myself. I’ve been a young kid moaning about training being rubbish. But in reality, it’s not rubbish; you’re just hurt and you don’t know how to deal with it.

“You have to realise what’s going on, pull yourself out of your a*** and get back to where you need to get back to. Nine times out of ten, that’s what the problem is.

“That comes with experience, though. The more mature I got, the more games I played and the more managers I had, the more of an understanding I had about it all.

“You know, it wasn’t the manager who was the problem, it was me. When I think of some players now, more often than not, they find it very easy to just pass the blame onto the manager.

“The manager wasn’t great, the coaches who took the training session weren’t great. But, really? Was that the case? Were they not great, or were you not great? Which one was it?”

We think Phil Jones’ words are important in understanding this situation. Indeed, Amorim’s tough approach is not to the liking of many players, but there are always disagreements in any big squad. The question is whether Amorim can bring these disagreements under control. We recently reported that the board is unsure about trusting Amorim despite the win over Burnley. Moreover, Wayne Rooney also described it as “the brink of a breaking point” and admitted that Amorim’s mental state is extremely fragile at the moment.

Amorim now has the opportunity to improve communication within the team ahead of the Manchester derby. He must show flexibility in his 3-4-2-1 formation and make changes, especially in matches where the opposition defends deep. The 40-year-old must also communicate openly with the players to restore confidence in the dressing room. Winning is ultimately the ultimate solution, and if United can put together positive results in the coming weeks, the current negative atmosphere could change immediately.

Amorim must soon prove that he is not just a tactician, but a leader who can handle the soul of this club. Disagreements are normal, but the real test is how strongly Manchester United come together on the pitch. It’s obvious that when things don’t go your way on the field, there will be cracks in the dressing room, and Ruben Amorim, with all the pressure that he has, will have to be mature, not be outspoken in the press conferences, and also handle players like Kobbie Mainoo in a better way. Once we start winning games, things are going to change for the better.