Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has named a Chelsea legend as his ‘toughest opponent’, admitting he ‘couldn’t play against him’.
Jones came up against some of the best Premier League players of his generation during his 12-year spell at Old Trafford.
While Jones failed to live up to the hype at United – having been tipped to become a club legend by Sir Alex Ferguson – the defender still made over 200 appearances for the Red Devils and was part of the last team to win the Premier League.
Given the England defender was a mainstay at United for over a decade, he is well-placed to give his take on the best players of his generation.
Asked who he rates as his ‘toughest opponent’, the Manchester United cult hero told MUTV: ‘I’ve said on the podcast, I couldn’t play against Eden Hazard.
‘He had that season, a couple of seasons, where he was just unplayable. Low centre of gravity, you would try to close him down, try to nail him, and he just twisted me up!’
Hazard established himself as a Chelsea great during his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge, winning two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in west London.
The Belgian’s trophies only tell one side of the story, however, with Hazard dazzling Chelsea fans for almost a decade, winning four Player of the Year awards and being included in the PFA Team of the Year four times.
While Jones rates Hazard as his ‘toughest opponent’, the Belgium superstar would have been a United teammate had Alex Ferguson got his way.
Speaking last year, Hazard revealed he had spoken to Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City before agreeing a deal with Chelsea.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, he said: ‘I had a chat with Sir Alex Ferguson [then Manchester United boss].
‘I spoke with Harry Redknapp, at that time he was the manager in Tottenham. I went to Manchester to see the Man City training ground.
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‘So I had a few options, but not Chelsea because the last year in Lille, Chelsea in the league was not that good. You know when you [John Obi Mikel] won the Champions League, in the league you were like sixth or seventh, I don’t remember.
‘I knew I was leaving France to go to the Premier League but not Chelsea, because I wanted to play in the Champions League, you know? So that move came because you won the Champions League.’
After leaving Chelsea, Hazard had an underwhelming four-year spell at Real Madrid before retiring in 2023 at the age of 32.
Explaining a retirement that many saw as premature, Hazard said: ‘You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time.
‘After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer.’
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