By admin 
Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones admits he is sympathetic towards Mason Mount and Luke Shaw, acknowledging the difficult period they are going through with persistent injuries.
Jones, whose own career was severely hampered by long-term fitness problems, admitted he once felt “embarrassed” by his own injury setbacks at Old Trafford.
Mount and Shaw have both been sidelined since early December, with the former dealing with a hamstring issue and the latter nursing a calf injury.
Since arriving from Chelsea in a £55million move in 2022, Mount has already missed 51 games for United.
Meanwhile, Shaw, who signed from Southampton for £27m in 2014, has spent more time on the injury list than on the pitch for United.
Jones, who was forced to retire in 2023 at the age of 31 after battling injuries throughout his 12-year career at Old Trafford, said he understands the mental and emotional toll such setbacks can have, particularly when facing criticism from fans on social media.
“I feel so sorry for Mason and Luke,” Jones said. “I know exactly what they’re feeling. For me, it was almost an embarrassed feeling because you’re at Man United, the biggest club in the world, and all you want to do is play football.
🚨🚨🎙️| Phil Jones on leaving the Manchester United WhatsApp group:
“You’ve been in the WhatsApp (group) for years, banter, sending people pictures and all sorts, you guys would have a field day,” he says with a laugh.
“I remember sitting in the bedroom, going like: ‘Lads, it’s… pic.twitter.com/ZVQF92RhQ0
— centredevils. (@centredevils) March 19, 2025
“I loved playing football. I didn’t do it for any other reason, I just loved playing football like a little kid, and when you can’t do something, you have something taken away from you.
“It’s difficult to deal with. You have the fans, you have social media, so I can absolutely sympathise with them [Mount and Shaw].”
Despite mounting pressure from fans to return, Jones emphasised that injured players must ensure they are physically and mentally ready before making a comeback.
Shaw, in particular, has faced scrutiny after featuring for England at Euro 2024 despite struggling with injuries throughout the previous season.
“What I would say is they’ve got to come back to a state where they feel comfortable playing,” Jones added.
“Medical staff these days will always try and promote you to come back sooner, but they’ve got to feel right in themselves and feel confident that they’re ready to come back and play and compete at a high level.
“So I absolutely sympathise with them. It’s a really, really terrible tough place to be in.”