Robbie Savage has hit out at some slightly over-the-top criticism of Manchester United defender Phil Jones following the side’s 3-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City in last night’s Carabao Cup semi-final.
United have a mountain to climb for the second leg of this clash after losing heavily at Old Trafford and with City thoroughly outplaying them for much of the night.
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Jones was once again singled out by some for a poor display, with the 27-year-old getting a rare start in this match as Harry Maguire missed out after picking up an injury in the FA Cup clash with Wolves at the weekend.
Savage, however, has called for fans to show a bit more respect to Jones, as he reacted angrily to some awarding him a 2/10 rating for his performance against City.
The Welshman saw some of the ratings being handed out on the BBC website, and defended what Jones has achieved in the game as he ranted about the “ridiculous” reaction on Radio 5 Live, as quoted on BBC Sport.
“Those marks are ridiculous; who is giving players four out of 10? The minimum you should get is five or six. Two out of 10 is nonsense. Pointless,” he said.
Before the match, he’d also spoken about Jones, saying: “Phil Jones has achieved more than 98% of footballers. He’s played for Manchester United, played for his country, has shown dedication and desire.
“Are his best days behind him? Yes. Is his quality what it was? No. Are his performances what they were? No. But what are the other options?
“I see criticism of Phil Jones, but you have to respect that he has played this many games for this club. To get to where he has got to, he has been a fantastic player.”
.@MinoRaiola u like Phil Jones?
— StrettyNews.com (@StrettyNews) January 7, 2020