Manchester United defender withdraws from England squad

Manchester United defender Phil Jones has joined Michail Antonio in withdrawing from the England squad from upcoming matches against Germany and Lithuania.

Jones suffered an injury in training with Gareth Southgate’s squad and United have now confirmed the versatile defender has returned to the club to assess his treatment and continue his recovery.

The 25-year-old has struggled with reoccurring injuries during the last few years of his career and appeared to be at a crossroads in his United career before returning to the fold under Jose Mourinho during their period of resurgence.

Jones would have been in line to get his first minutes in an England kit since managing two minutes against France in November 2015. Southgate is also without Antonio, who picked up a hamstring injury in West Ham’s 3-2 defeat to Leicester at the weekend.

United are undefeated in the league with Jones in the starting XI, winning seven of the 14 games he has started.

For more stats on Phil Jones, click here to visit his WhoScored player page