adminPHIL JONES is set to ease Louis van Gaal’s defensive crisis by making his return for Manchester United this weekend.
Jones has recovered from a hamstring injury and is back in first-team training ahead of United’s game against Everton on Sunday.The United defender has missed over two weeks with the strain he suffered in England’s Euro 2016 qualifying victory over Switzerland earlier this month.
The injuries of Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling, and suspension of Tyler Blackett, only added to Van Gaal’s huge selection problems, with teenage defender Paddy McNair drafted in for Saturday’s game against West Ham United.
But Jones is expected to be fit for the visit of Everton on Sunday, a week ahead of schedule, to strengthen Van Gaal’s squad.
Roy Hodgson is being kept up to date on Jones’s progress ahead of the forthcoming qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia.
Hodgson names his England squad on Thursday and is likely to include Jones if he receives assurances the 22-year-old is fully fit.
Jones impressed in the 2-0 victory over Switzerland in Basle and is highly rated by Hodgson due to his versatility.
Van Gaal, meanwhile, has rejected a number of inquiries from Championship clubs for teenage forward James Wilson.
The 18-year-old has only made one appearance for United this season, in the disastrous defeat to Milton Keynes Dons in the Capital One Cup, and is on the fringes of the squad.
But Van Gaal believes it would be more beneficial for Wilson at this stage of his career to stay at Old Trafford. — The Telegraph
Online Reporter