Sir Alex Ferguson has today confirmed what we all feared, that Phil Jones, who turned 21 today, is unlikely to face Real Madrid in the second leg game.

“Phil Jones is the one we’re concerned about in terms of the Real Madrid game,” he said. “We’re working hard on it and I’d say he has an outside chance – no more than that. Phil tackled awkwardly the other night and tangled his foot there, that’s why he has the injury he has. He has the courage and willingness to tackle. Bryan Robson was the same. Bryan couldn’t see danger and neither can Phil. It’s a measure of his courage and I don’t want to take that away from him. Phil did an incredible job in Madrid. He doesn’t care who he’s playing against, he has no fear of playing against anyone. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s fit for the second leg. It’s two weeks away. A lot can happen. When you look at his tackles, he tackles like a young man. Maybe he’s too brave. He was unbalanced in the tackle and ended up injured. He’s an outside chance, that’s all.”

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