da heads bet： Manchester United appear to be further away from winning a Premier League title than they were just a few months ago, with Erik ten Hag overseeing a poor start to the campaign.
da betano casino： The club haven’t won a top-flight title since 2012/13, when Sir Alex Ferguson rolled back the years to create a team which steamrolled all in front of them to ensure the great man went out at the very top.
Of course, the subsequent decade has been filled with a series of poor managers, a list of even worse players and aside from a few trophies, virtually no progress on the field.
When the Dutchman took charge last year, it finally looked as though the Red Devils had a progressive coach who would use his experience to guide the club back to the summit of English football, but this doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon.
Although there have been a few impressive signings such as Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro, spending £86m on Antony appears to be a massive error, along with shelling out £60m on Mason Mount who had just a year left on his contract at Chelsea.
He isn’t the only United boss to make mistakes in the transfer market, with every Fergie successor repeating the same mistakes, yet even the wily old Scot was prone to the odd howler or two during his wonderful reign in Manchester.
Having just departed the club following 12 years of service, Phil Jones must go down as one of his worst signings during his latter period managing the club, especially considering the fortune he rinsed them of over the years.
How much did Phil Jones cost Manchester United?
Following yet another Premier League winning campaign, Ferguson aimed to further bolster his squad during the summer of 2011 as he looked to swat away the emerging force of Manchester City, who looked prime to be challengers in the ensuing years.
This led him to signing Jones from Blackburn Rovers for a fee in the region of £16m and on the surface, it looked like a smart piece of business.
The defender was only 19 at the time, and it was clear Ferguson was going in the direction of youth as he was rebuilding his first-team squad.
What happened to Phil Jones?
The Englishman certainly settled in well at the Old Trafford side, going on to make 42 appearances in his debut campaign, yet they ended up finishing trophy-less following a stunning climax to the Premier League season as City clinched the title with a late goal against QPR.
Not to be undeterred, Fergie set his squad out during 2012/13 with ambitions of winning a record-extending 13th Premier League title and Jones played his part.
The defender did only make 17 league appearances (24 overall), yet it was enough for him to claim a winner's medal and receive wonderful praise from his manager too.
Ferguson said: "Jones, arguably the way he is looking, could be our best ever player. I think Jones may be one of the best players we have ever had, no matter where we play him.
"At 21 years of age, he is going to be a phenomenal player. I think he can play anywhere on the pitch. He has such a massive influence, with his instinct and reading of the game. He has a drive about him."
High praise from arguably one of the finest managers in the history of the game and the future appeared bright for the former Blackburn gem, who was just getting started at the club.
Things didn’t go well for David Moyes, who was charged with taking over from Ferguson and Jones struggled to replicate his promising early form at the club, as from the start of the 2014/15 season, he would fail to make more than 26 appearances during a single season over the next nine campaigns.
Writer Denise Evans even criticised him in 2017, saying: “Phil Jones just cannot be in a United shirt next season. He is woeful on an embarrassingly high level. If that's technically possible.”
Jones also struggled with several injury problems during his time in Manchester and would go on to miss a staggering 251 matches for both club and country between 2012 and 2022.
Having not played a single game for Ten Hag, Jones announced he was departing the Red Devils when his contract expired in the summer, claiming it had been a difficult few years, saying: "I wish I could have played more. I wish I could have given more to the many squads I played amongst. I will say, from the bottom of my heart, I did everything I could. It's been very difficult, the last couple of years, there's no denying that.”
How much did Phil Jones earn at Manchester United?
Throughout the course of his United career, the Englishman earned a staggering £35m during his 624 weeks at the club and considering his severe lack of impact, especially across his final five years at Old Trafford, it is a remarkable amount of money to spend.
Indeed, combining his wage with his transfer fee of £16m works out at Jones costing the Red Devils a grand total of £51m from 2011 to 2023 and considering how many games he missed due to injury, this sum would have been far better being spent elsewhere.
What once looked like an ideal signing by Ferguson soon turned into a nightmare for both the player and the club, with Jones failing to live up to lofty expectations while struggling to maintain a solid run in the first team.
Financial commitment
Finances involved
Transfer fee
£16m
Total salary
£35m
Total cost
£51m
Per appearance
£227k
Per goal
£8.6m
It proves that the legendary icon did make the odd mistake or two during a career filled with extraordinary heights, yet he will perhaps look back to the signing of Jones and realise he made a grave error of judgment.
Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing and managing to lure a promising defender to the club for a bargain fee looked like it would benefit the club for years to come. It didn’t work out that way and Jones eventually drained the club for 12 years in total.