Rio Ferdinand issues apology to former Man Utd teammate for scathing public criticism

Former Manchester United player Phil Jones demonstrated his class by accepting an apology from Rio Ferdinand for his criticism during Jones' injury struggles, which saw him sidelined for 18 months.

Jones, who had a 12-year stint at Old Trafford , hung up his boots in August after being let go by the Premier League titans at the conclusion of the previous season.

Despite being a reliable choice in his early years in Manchester, persistent injuries hindered his progress at the club, limiting him to just 13 appearances across all competitions in his final four years.

A knee injury he sustained in 2019 resulted in him missing 78 matches for his former team as he spent a year and a half on the bench. Unaware of his fitness issues, Ferdinand publicly criticized his ex-colleague, suggesting he should leave the club to secure regular playing time and make way for a younger player's development.

When Jones featured as a guest on the 'Rio Ferdinand Presents' show, the six-time Premier League champion opened the podcast with an apology to the 32 year old, revealing that his critique of the defender even prompted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to message him about it.

"I have to say I apologize firstly before anything, I said sorry publicly but I'll say it to your face this time now, for criticizing you," Ferdinand expressed. "I criticized him about he wasn't playing for a long period of time and I was like 'he's got to go out and play', I knew this kid when he was 18 and came to Man United, he wants to play football, why is he sitting there?

"Is it the Man United badge that he wants on his chest, is he staying for his own ego, just go and play some football [and] get out of the way, let another young kid come through because you're stifling someone else's growth maybe."

Jones, with a smile, responded: "Apology accepted", before confessing that the criticism from Ferdinand, who he admired, came during a challenging time in his life.

"I was vulnerable because I hadn't played in so long and I was thinking 'am I ever going to play again', and having all these images and thoughts that it might be the end," he admitted. Since hanging up his boots, Jones has revealed his intentions to earn his coaching badges and has even been involved in United's youth team training sessions at Carrington.

His first season post-retirement has coincided with United's worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign, with Erik ten Hag's side languishing in 14th place with a mere eight points from seven matches.