Jones desperate to play in must-win clash
Phil Jones accepts manager Jose Mourinho has some tough decisions to make as the boss finalises his Manchester United team for Wednesday's UEFA Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm.
The centre-back played in the 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League finale but accepts the chief focus has long been on the showdown in Sweden and the opportunity to not only lift a third trophy of the season but also to gain entry to next season's Champions League.
Jones is battling for a place in the defence with Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly definitely unavailable and Mourinho will be mulling over the exact composition of his XI as the big day approaches.
"We have to win," declared Jones. "In a nutshell, probably [it is make or break]. It's a defining moment in our season and we need to make sure we win the game. We want Champions League football; it's what we have to do to win the game.
"We know Champions League football is the end goal, but we need to earn the right to be in the Champions League and that's by winning on Wednesday night. We've no God-given right to win the Europa League. We deserve to be there. We deserve to be in the final, but we have to show up and prove we are good enough and that's what we will do.
"I'm more than ready to adapt to whatever the manager decides," he added. "He's got 11 tough decisions to make but I've said all along that whoever plays will go out and do the job to the best of their ability.
"He's rotated the squad to give people a rest, freshen people up, give minutes. I think he's got a terrific balance of the squad going into Wednesday. The people who are fit are raring to go and raring to be selected.
"There are a lot of games. Manchester United want to be playing in every competition so there are going to be a lot of games. We would be disappointed if we weren't in every competition. That means we weren't successful. I can understand the lads' tiredness; we've had a lot of games. But we need to give it one more big push on Wednesday night."
Jones feels he can look back on his season with a degree of satisfaction in any case, even if he was frustrated to pick up an untimely injury.
"I still would've liked to play more this season," he added. "I've picked up a few injuries that were unfortunate, shall we say. Still I feel I've had a good season. When I've played, I feel like we went on a run of 25 games unbeaten. Every time I started I think we lost once until I came back against Arsenal. I think I've had a good season; hopefully I can play more next season and be better.
"He [Jose] is a great manager to work for. This season, I've thoroughly enjoyed it under him. Even when I was out of the team at the start of the season, he always gave me confidence I would get into the team if I was training and playing well. He was true to his word. He always made me feel wanted and I owe him a lot for that."
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