MANCHESTER, England — Phil Jones has told ESPN FC that lifting the FA Cup this weekend will not make it a successful season for Manchester United, but will show they are moving in the right direction.
United face Chelsea at Wembley after finishing second in the Premier League behind runaway champions Manchester City.
It is a chance to claim a third trophy in two years to add to their highest league finish since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, but Jones says expectations at Old Trafford are so high that only top prizes will do.
“Successful for Manchester United is winning the Premier League, adding another trophy and having another good cup run in another one,” the defender said.
“I think finishing second and winning the FA Cup would probably be satisfactory for Manchester United, but we always want to win more.
“It means we are moving in the right direction. We will always have our critics because we are Manchester United. It has been like that since we have been here.
“We can go out and win. It won’t be easy. It is a cup game. Chelsea are a good team, but I believe we have the quality and strength in depth to go out and win the game.”
Jones is hoping to end his United final hoodoo on Saturday.
He was an unused substitute for the 2016 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace under Louis van Gaal and was sidelined with injury for last season’s EFL Cup final.
Jones returned to the squad for the Europa League final in May but remained on the bench as United beat Ajax 2-0 before being caught up in controversy when he was accused by UEFA of failing to comply with doping test regulations because he wanted to pay tribute to victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.
A subsequent two-game ban ruled him out of the Super Cup against Real Madrid in August.
“The one under Van Gaal, I wasn’t playing, so that was OK — not OK, but reasonable,” the 26-year-old said.
“The Europa League final, I got a daft, silly injury at a stupid time. I thought I wouldn’t be fit for the final, then it came and I was, but the manager is probably thinking I had only just come back, could he trust my fitness in a game of that magnitude.
“You are disappointed but at the same time, you understand.
“Hopefully I have a chance of starting in the final. I don’t know. It is the manager’s decision. But hopefully I have put my name forward and will be one of the names on the team sheet.”
Jones is in pole position to start alongside Chris Smalling at Wembley after the pair nullified Tottenham striker Harry Kane in the semifinal.
Smalling was left out of the squad against Watford on the final day of the season, while Jones was on the bench.
But with competition from Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo, Jones is not taking anything for granted.
“There are places up for grabs all over the pitch,” he said. “The manager has already said that a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think any name is a given on the team sheet.
“Everyone is fighting for positions for every game, not just the FA Cup final.”
Manager Jose Mourinho gave his players the day off on Monday before they returned to Carrington on Tuesday to begin preparing for the final.
Jones will not know until the day of the game whether he will start against Olivier Giroud or Alvaro Morata, and said he faced a nervous wait.
“Do you get the team sheet an hour before kick off? About an hour, an hour and a half before that we find out the team,” he said. “All together in a meeting the team sheet will go up. You are hoping you are playing, hoping you are starting. “But it is an FA Cup final. If you are not, you are obviously disappointed but you have been a part of the whole season, so everyone will rally round the lads who are playing and wants them to do well.
“When I was younger I used to get really nervous before games, so much so, you are almost throwing up before games. That was five or six years ago. Now I am used to it. I know what to expect. It is exciting. It is an FA Cup final. It is not every day you get to play in one of them.”
Rob is ESPN FC’s Manchester United correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @RobDawsonESPN.
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