WINNING THE CUP IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH Reece can MK a mark
Jones: This club has a history where we need to be pushing for more finals and trophies
PHIL JONES has admitted that retaining the FA Cup will not be enough to keep Manchester United’s owners happy.
Louis van Gaal led United to their first trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement last May – but the Dutchman was out of the door 48 hours later for failing to qualify for the Champions League.
Now, with an EFL Cup final date with Southampton already booked and a place in last 32 of the Europa League secured, United face Wigan in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
But Jose Mourinho faces a fight to land a top-four place – and this time it will be the players who will pay the price if United once again fail to make it into Europe’s elite.
Jones said: “It’s not enough just to win a cup. We set our standards high. This club has a history of winning things.
“We need to be involved in more finals and pushing for more trophies.
“We can put the EFL Cup to bed for a few weeks now that we are in the final and, hopefully, we can pull together and keep going in the FA Cup.
“The Europa League is also a genuine target for us. But the key is that we want to be in the Champions League.”
Mourinho’s overhaul of the squad he inherited began with an £157million splash that saw United break the worldrecord transfer fee for Paul Pogba, as well as bringing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly. It continued this month with the sales of Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay – and Wayne Rooney’s imminent exit.
And that money will be put towards breaking the transfer record again next summer when France forward Antoine Griezmann will be their top target. Other players will also make way, if they fail to meet the standards set by Mourinho.
Striker Anthony Martial and fit-again left-back Luke Shaw will get the chance to impress against Wigan.
Mar tial was left in Manchester when United travelled to Stoke last weekend and Hull on Thursday. And Mourinho has warned the Frenchman that he will be axed again if he doesn’t deliver a top performance against Warren Joyce’s Championship underdogs.
Signs are that the manager will ditch Martial in the summer if he continues to underwhelm.
The 21-year-old is wanted by Paris Saint-Germain and the feeling at Old Trafford is that he is pining for a move back to France after his marriage crumbled.
Mourinho said: “Martial plays against Wigan. I am looking for him to guarantee a place for the next match. If he plays really well, he is in the next match. If he doesn’t play well, I have other choices. Against Hull, I played Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, the game before I played Juan Mata and Mkhitaryan.
“They have to fight between them and win positions in relation to their performances.”
United’s 17-game unbeaten run was ended on Humberside, but the 2-1 defeat was not enough to stop them booking a place at Wembley.
Jones said: “Wigan won’t be easy, but we have to pick ourselves up after losing at Hull. We were unbeaten for 17 games and it is a mark of how well we have done that we were so disappointed.” WIGAN defender Reece James is hoping for a dream end to his yearlong injury nightmare at Old Trafford today.
James, 23, sidelined for 53 weeks by ankle ligament and tendon problems, will be on the bench when Warren Joyce’s Championship underdogs face his former club Manchester United.
The Bacup-born left-back spent three years with United – but his only senior performance came in the humiliating 4-0 League Cup defeat at MK Dons in 2014.
James (above) said: “I played for United at Old Trafford in a pre-season friendly against Valencia and for the Under-23s, but playing there, in front of a full house, is something I’ve always wanted.
“I’m sure I’ll be giving the manager a nudge in the last 10 minutes, but I have had only seven training sessions and 45 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly and I know that the result is the most important thing.
“I was just getting back to fitness when the draw for the fourth round was made and it was an extra incentive to push myself that little bit more.
“After the year I’ve had, it will just be great to be involved.”
James, younger brother of Leicester midfielder Matty James, is philosophical about failing to make the grade at United.
He said: “There came a time when I had to admit that I wasn’t going to make the grade at United.
“I have always felt that I was given a fair chance by the club and when I took the decision to come to Wigan, it was with the hope that I would play my way back into the Premier League.
“Looking back, it was that MK Dons game that killed me.
“There were a few of us chucked in together and we were up against a team that had some great players – like Dele Alli and Benik Afobe.
“It didn’t feel like a make-orbreak night at the time, but obviously that’s why the manager Louis van Gaal did it.”