This week, West Ham United have been linked with a move for Phil Jones, and inevitably, these rumours were met with ridicule by the fanbase.
Indeed, supporters are less than impressed with the idea of signing Jones, and it’s not hard to understand why.
Sadly, the wider footballing world views Jones as almost a joke figure these days. Memes of some of the silly faces he pulls during matches go viral every season, the fact he was once on corner duty for Manchester United is seen as a low-point in the Red Devils’ history.
Unfortunately for Jones, injuries and a constantly improving United defence has meant that he hasn’t been able to prove his quality in recent years, and he’s not been able to shake off this status as something of a joke.
However, we can’t help but feel that football fans are doing Jones a disservice by speaking about him in this way.
This is a man who has won a Premier League title, a man who was coveted by some of the biggest clubs in the country as a youngster and a man who has represented England on 27 occasions – you don’t do all of that unless you’ve got something about you.
The reality is that underperforming players at Manchester United get this sort of treatment every now and then, and it often takes a move away from Old Trafford for them to prove their abilities.
Look at somebody like Jonny Evans. The Northern Irishman was largely panned during his time as a United player, but within a few years of leaving the so-called ‘Theatre of Dreams’ Evans has rightfully been seen as one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
West Ham fans should know better than to pan Jones before he’s played a single game of football for their club, they did the same with Jesse Lingard, who was in a very similar position, in January, and he went on to become arguably their Player of the Season, while there was a similar discourse around Craig Dawson when he was first linked to the club.
No disrespect to Dawson, but Jones’ CV is a lot better than his, and with David Moyes knowing the 29-year-old well from his days at Manchester United, it’s not insane to suggest that he may be able to get back to his best at West Ham.
Jones could follow in Lingard’s footsteps by proving his true ability at West Ham after a rocky patch with Manchester United.
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