Phil Jones ranks sacked Man Utd manager above Arne Slot, Thomas Frank & Ruben Amorim

Jones’ ranking will ruffle feathers. On TikTok channel Planet Futebol, the ex-United defender was put on the spot and told to remain silent until a better manager than Solskjaer was named. He didn’t speak until Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was mentioned, effectively placing Solskjaer above Liverpool’s Slot, Amorim, Newcastle's Eddie Howe, and Thomas Frank.

Jones played under Solskjaer at Old Trafford between 2018 and 2021. The United legend failed to deliver a trophy in that time, but did guide the team to a second-place Premier League finish and the Europa League final in the 2020-21 season.

“Ole was great,” said Jones. “We had Ole, we had Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna. Michael did brilliant at Middlesbrough, not there now.

“Kieran McKenna has done fantastic at Ipswich, and is still continuing that. Those three were really, really good. We had that season just after lockdown when there was no crowd, we were really good.”

Jones’ comments come amid a bumpy start to the 2025-26 season, with both Liverpool and United losing over the weekend to Crystal Palace and Brentford, respectively. While Slot’s Liverpool cruised to the Premier League crown in his first season and sit top of the league once again after six games this term, United’s woes under Amorim continue, with the Red Devils languishing in 14th with three losses, one draw and just two wins.

Meanwhile, the chatter about United’s next permanent manager refuses to die down. Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez is strongly linked with the Old Trafford role should Amorim depart. At the same time, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and ex-England manager Sir Gareth Southgate are tipped as potential replacements.