I would hide my injuries from Man Utd team-mates and staff – it was embarrassing and I didn’t want them to see my pain
PHIL JONES has revealed that he used to hide his injuries from Manchester United team-mates.
The former defender, 32, announced his retirement from football in August.
Since hanging up his boots, Jones has revealed that he consulted therapists and psychologists to work on his mental well-being as he struggled with persistent knee injuries.
Jones enjoyed an enviable career at the top of the game; winning a Premier League title, FA Cup and the Europa League – and playing more than 200 times for Man Utd.
He suffered terribly with injuries in his latter years at Old Trafford, however, making just six Premier League appearances in his final four years at United.
In a heartfelt column for the BBC, Jones lifted the lid on how he didn’t want to share his injury anguish with any of his team-mates.
He revealed: “Unfortunately there were times when I was at United when I did not look for help. My coping mechanism when I had any problems was to stay silent, and that was probably my downfall.
“I didn’t open up to anyone, and I would hide my injuries from other players and the staff. I put a shield up so no-one knew what was going on, apart from my close family.
“I only spoke about this for the first time on a podcast last week, but one of my lowest moments was when I was trying to play through the pain of my knee injury, when it had got to a point where the doctor had to inject my knee before every game I played so I didn’t feel it.
“I was on the bench for a game at Brighton but one of our centre-halves was struggling in the warm-up, so I thought I would be pro-active and get the injection before kick-off.
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“It was embarrassing for me because I didn’t want anyone to see that I was struggling, or in pain – I was meant to be a tough guy as a defender, remember – so I went into a cubicle in the changing room just as the manager started his pre-match talk, and got the doc to inject me in there.”
Having now hung up his boots, Jones has revealed his desire to go into coaching and management.
He spent last season working with United’s Under-18s, and has been going through his various coaching badges.
On his managerial ambitions, Jones added: “I am only 32 and I know that I’ve got a long way to go as a coach or manager.
“Just because I played for United for so many years, it doesn’t mean I can just walk into a job, but I am determined to get a chance somewhere.
“It is something I feel passionate about and I feel I have so much to give with my knowledge about all aspects of the game, plus my drive to succeed even further in football because I missed out on two or three years as a player.”
Ten Hag on Phil Jones
The Man Utd boss paid tribute to Jones upon the defender's retirement in August
Following the news of Phil Jones’ retirement, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was asked about the former defender.
The Dutchman, 54, said: “I think he had a great career.
“What he achieved; winning the Premier League, winning FA Cup, winning Europa League, be present at two World Cups, massive career at Man United.
“So all the credit for his career.”