Around a week back, a report from the Mirror had emerged that Newcastle United were willing to offer Manchester United defender Phil Jones a new lifeline by showing interest in him in the upcoming transfer window. The report mentioned that Newcastle could sign him for £12m.
Latest update regarding Newcastle’s interest in Phil Jones
However, the latest update from the Chronicle states that Phil Jones’ camp is yet to be contacted by the Magpies and the Manchester United defender is not yet aware of any interest from the Tyneside outfit. The defender’s camp has also pointed out that the Englishman signed a new contract not too long ago. Jones is contracted to stay at Old Trafford until 2023. United even have an option to extend it for another year.
From Newcastle’s point of view, we hope that there is no contact from the club to sign the Manchester United defender. Jones has started just two games in the Premier League this season, and he was substituted at half time in one of those games as he made some poor decisions against Sheffield United.
Why doesn’t Newcastle United need Jones?
The 28-year-old defender has made just eight appearances in all competitions this season. In hindsight, it looks like a poor decision from the Red Devils to hand him a long term contract. However, Newcastle signing Jones in the summer would even top that bad decision from the Manchester giants.
Newcastle United might be struggling to score goals freely, but they are well covered in central defence. Steve Bruce has the likes of Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez and Florian Lejeune at his disposal who can play at centre back.
All of them are contracted to stay beyond 2020, so there isn’t any exit on the card as well. Hence, it would be a surprising move from the Toon to sign a new defender. The board should instead look to invest in the attacking areas of the pitch.
Jones has also got a poor record with injuries, and he has missed plenty of games in the last few years for United. On paper, Jones might look like a marquee signing as he has been in the mix for the Three Lions, but it is fair to say that he is past his prime now. The latest update mentions that a move is not on the cards for Jones and that should be treated as a piece of positive news by the Magpies faithful.
