Manchester United defender Phil Jones has rejected an offer to join Ligue 1 club Bordeaux on a temporary basis, according to reports.
The Athletic first publicised last week that Jones was the subject of a loan bid from the French top flight club. Yet today it transpires the Englishman wants to remain at Old Trafford over fears of a lack of game time at Bordeaux.
Jones has only recently returned to Manchester United first team action following a knee injury which kept him sidelined for 712 days. He made his comeback in a narrow defeat against Wolves earlier in January, with coach Ralf Rangnick praising his dedication to return to fitness.
With Jones now deemed fit to play, United are well stocked in the heart of defence, with all of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindlof, Eric Bailly and Raphael Varane in good condition for the latter half of the season. Rangnick was open to allowing Jones to leave, with the player requiring regular game time to build up to 100% fitness.
Yet Jones was reportedly unconvinced by talks with Bordeaux, who currently languish in 17th in the French top flight. The club have already recruited a centre-back this window, with Brazilian player Marcelo re-joining. However, loss of Laurent Koscielny, the former Arsenal captain – who has been told to leave this window after a break down in relations with the club he signed for in 2019 – means further recruits are needed.
It is unknown whether any other club will attempt to take Jones on a short term deal before the transfer window closes this evening.
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Mark White has been a staff writer on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, writing pieces for both online and the magazine. Over his time on the brand, he has interviewed the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Jack Wilshere, written pieces ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career, and has been to the FA Cup and League Cup finals, working for FFT.
