Since the days of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at Manchester United, it would be safe to say that the Red Devils have lacked an elite and, more importantly, a settled defence.
Throughout the years, we’ve seen the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez all fail in their quest to become the new Ferdinand and Vidic.
Should we be surprised? Arguably not. Rio and Vidic were two of the best centre-backs in Premier League history. Still, it has been nearly 15 years since those days. At some point, United need to find an answer.
Of all the players on that list, Maguire has arguably come the closest to stability. Once upon a time, Jones looked like their next best hope too.
What went wrong for Phil Jones at Man Utd
You have to go back to the summer of 2011, the 13th of June to be precise, for the day Jones signed for Manchester United.
During the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, he snapped up a then 19-year-old from Blackburn Rovers to the tune of £17m. They beat Liverpool and Arsenal to secure his signature.
Things started positively. The defender earned acclaim from plenty of figures within the game, notably Fergie, who described the centre-back as someone who “could be our [Man Utd’s] best ever player.”
“The way he is looking, he could be our best ever player. He may be one of the best players we have ever had, no matter where we play him. At 21 years of age, he is going to be a phenomenal player. He can play anywhere on the pitch. He has such a massive influence, with his instinct and reading of the game. He has a drive about him.” – Sir Alex on Phil Jones in 2013.
That’s fine praise, but it did not stop there. Gary Neville suggested that he had “a touch of Bryan Robson or Roy Keane”. As a result, it’s sad the way in which everything unravelled.
For Jones, he was simply far too injury-prone. During his time at United, the central defender missed a whopping 1,168 days of football. He also missed 224 matches. For someone so talented, someone who Fergie tipped to be one of the best in the club’s history, it was devastating.
Yet, you could also argue that Jones was kept at United too long. He tallied up 229 appearances for United but only featured on six occasions in the Premier League during his final four seasons at Old Trafford. In the end, he rather outstayed his welcome.
Man Utd have found another Phil Jones-like situation
It is three years since Jones left United. He’s now an assistant manager at Sheffield United at the age of 34. In another world, he’s still playing for the Red Devils and he’s surpassed 500 appearances.
Yet, the harsh reality dictates that he had to cut his playing career short. Really, he could have done with leaving United sooner. The fact he was still on their books until his contract expired in 2023 was rather damning of the rot this great club has found itself in.
Now in 2026, it’s also rather damning that a certain Diogo Dalot is still featuring for the club. The circumstances are incredibly different. Dalot has never been injury-prone. In fact, he’s been one of the most available players they have had in recent times.
Yet, like Jones, he has now overstayed his welcome at Old Trafford. On Sunday, he celebrated 250 appearances for the club and he did so in typical Dalot fashion; with a poor performance.
Like Jones, it’s rather remarkable he’s ever made it beyond 200 outings, let alone 250. The fact is that he’s been too inconsistent, too sloppy. It’s damning on United’s recruitment that he’s still their right-back in 2026.
INEOS neglected the opportunity to improve the full-backs over the summer and how they must regret that. Against City he was particularly abject. The Portuguese really struggled to contain Antoine Semenyo and twice played his team into trouble. He lost possession 11 times in total and recorded just three defensive contributions.
|
Dalot vs Man City |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
62 |
|
Accurate passes |
34/40 (85%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Accurate crosses |
0 |
|
Dribbles |
1 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Duels won |
4/9 |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Ball recoveries |
9 |
Going forward, he was no better. Against ten men Dalot didn’t have a positive influence at all, playing just one key pass. Both of his crosses were inaccurate too.
For the second derby in a row, the full-back was sluggish. At the start of the year, he was perhaps fortunate not to see a harsher punishment for a tackle on Jeremy Doku.
There was no Doku on this occasion due to injury but it mattered not. It said it all that Patrick Dorgu was called into action to stop the cross that led to Erling Haaland’s goal. Both full-backs somehow found themselves out of position as the ball was delivered from the left of City’s forward line.
Dalot may not have ever had the potential that Jones did, nor has he had the wretched injury history. But, the fact he is still at the club way past his best is certainly similar.
During his time in the north west, he has drained the club of around £45m without including bonuses. He cost £19m back in 2018 and has earned £25m in wages since then. It’s an extraordinary amount considering his performance levels.