After more than 12 years at the club, Phil Jones is finally leaving Manchester United at the end of the 2022/23 season.
Jones joined the club all the way back in July 2011 and was once predicted to become Man United‘s “best ever player” by Sir Alex Ferguson himself, but after years of injury problems and failing to live up to those expectations, his time at Old Trafford became synonymous with sitting on the sidelines.
Well, that and pulling all manner of faces whenever he did play.
However, after more than a decade at the club, one Premier League title, a Europa League, one of each domestic cup and two Charity Shields to his name, United confirmed that Phil Jones is saying goodbye to United in July and although he is set to become a free agent, his future in football remains up in the air.
It’s official, Phil Jones leaves United after more than a decade in red.
Joining United at just 19 from Blackburn Rovers, Jones was once thought to be part of United’s next generation, earning England call-ups alongside long-term centre-back partner Chris Smalling, who also left the club back in 2020 after the pair’s popularity continued to dwain over time.
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The Preston-born lad was never blind to his reputation at the club either. He famously turned down the chance for a testimonial after joking, “Apart from my mum and dad, who else would come?”. While he may not have always been a popular figure at Old Trafford he was at least an honest one.
Jones’ last game for United came in a 3-0 win against Brentford in May last year when he was subbed on for Juan Mata and before that was his remarkable comeback against Wolves in January 2022 — both of which occasions he had to fight incredibly hard to regain his fitness for, having only played a handful of games over recent years.
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As for the man himself, the 31-year-old issued the following lengthy and emotional statement on his social media, thanking the club and the fans for their support over the years, stating that he “lived a dream at the biggest club in the world” and has made friends and memories for life.
Insisting that he will “always be a Red”, the club gave Jones a fond farewell video where he was presented with a special commemorative plaque by ex-teammate turned technical director and coach, Darren Fletcher.
They went on to add that the “no.4 is now taking some time before deciding his next move and everybody at United would like to wish Phil the very best of luck for the future.”
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He might never have turned out to be the player Fergie thought he would be, but he still brings an end to his United career with a handful of trophies, six goals from defence and as a cult figure around a club that he clearly loved.
One thing’s for sure, Phil Jones leaves a United legend in his own right. All the best, Phil.
Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons/Phil Jones (via Instagram)/Man United
Sport
Salford RLFC finally confirm new head and assistant coaches
Danny Jones
Salford RLFC have finally announced their new head and assistant coach picks as the new rugby league season fast approaches.
The Salfordian phoenix club had already confirmed they’d reached provisional pre-contract agreements with a new boss and several players following the news of the consortium bid that kept the sporting institution alive, but now they officially have a new leadership team to get behind.
Following Salford Red Devils’ resurrection by the aforementioned investment group – though it still remains unclear whether this will eventually include a full rebranding – familiar face Mike Grady and his assistant Dave Hewitt are now in place.
They replace ex-boss Paul Rowley, now at St Helens, and his assistant, Kurt Haggerty, who both left in October and September of last year, respectively.
Sharing the news in an official statement on their new Instagram account amid a major overhaul of their online presence, the local side wrote: “We are proud to announce Mike as the new Head Coach of Salford RLFC, joined by Dave Hewitt as Assistant Coach.
“Mike brings over 12 years of coaching experience across club and international rugby, most recently leading the Salford Women’s team and previously coaching at Widnes.
“His appointment marks another big step forward in our rebuild, combining experience, passion and a deep understanding of what Salford rugby league stands for: hard work, resilience and exciting rugby.
“Joining him, Dave Hewitt, former St Helens and England Academy player, will focus on developing our attacking play and nurturing new talent.”
Hewitt also played for Oldham RLFC across three spells, as well as Rochdale Hornets.
As for the board, they sign off by adding: “Together, Mike and Dave represent the energy and belief driving this new era for Salford RLFC.”
With several ‘key announcements’ soon to be made, we can expect a better idea of what the new and hopefully improved Salford will look like in time for their opener against the Roughyeds in the Championship on Friday, 16 January.
It is worth noting that the club have yet to reveal any actual squad signings.
As for co-owner Caton-Brown, who knows all about the club and the community from his several years playing in the area, we have the pleasure of chatting with him first-hand about the vision for their future.
As a result, Pep Guardiola and co. have decided to cut the 20-year-old’s loan spell at Championship outfit Watford FC short to bolster their ranks along the backline.
The Italian journalist gave the reports the ‘Here We Go!’ seal of approval on Monday, 5 January, following confirmation of Gvardiol‘s ankle problem.
“Man City act fast as Josko Gvardiol will now be out for several weeks with injury”, he writes, “and so Max Alleyne returns.”
Himself a bit of a utility player, having also been deployed in defensive midfield on occasion, the Bristol-born youth academy product could prove a useful option in various positions across the pitch.
While Guardiola admitted that the versatile Croatian star’s issue “doesn’t look good” – this being the same ankle he had surgery on back in November 2025 – it remains to be seen how serious his Portuguese teammate’s muscle concern is.
Romano continues: “Alleyne has been doing great at Watford on loan… City informed the London club this morning, even if they’re very happy [with] how they managed Max over recent months. Club-to-club good relationship, City wanted Alleyne in their squad ASAP, and Watford let Max leave today.”
The England prospect has represented his country in every age group from the under-17s to Lee Carsley’s U21 side, and has certainly impressed on the national stage.
Danny Jones -
19th May 2023 
