The Red Devils faithful were met with a pleasant surprise ahead of the team’s clash against Wolverhampton at Old Trafford last night.
With a depleted squad at his disposal, Ralf Rangnick appeared without much choice other than to field a playing XI that included none other than Phil Jones, somewhat to the astonishment of unexpecting United supporters.
The 29-year-old centre-back last made a start for United back in January 2020, and his appearance last night came on the back of a staggering 712 days of wait.
And while United’s overall performance against Wolves was lacklustre, ending in a disappointing 1-0 defeat, Jones produced a prodigious display to mark his return.
Partnering Raphael Varane, the English international was solid throughout the match, making key interceptions and winning several duels. He was perhaps United’s best player on the night, a sentiment shared by the club supporters who celebrated his comeback in unequivocal terms, despite the loss.
Soon videos surfaced online of United faithful singing his chant during and after the match.
He’s phil jones pic.twitter.com/t6J7ancZTn
— . (@mufctilIy) January 3, 2022
Fittingly enough, lyrics of the chant included lines referring to Jones as “indestructible”, considering his return was after a long absence due to an impairing knee injury that has troubled his career since.
If Jones continues to put up such solid displays, it’s likely that supporters will continue to belt the chant, which urges United faithful to always have faith in the centre-back.
Here are the full lyrics to the chant – “Always believe in Phil Jones, you’ve got the power to know you’re indestructible….. always believe in JONES”.