Jose Mourinho has requested a meeting with Phil Jones to clear up the Manchester United defender’s future at the club.

Jones, 24,penned a new four-year contract at Old Trafford in 2015. However, a mixture of bad luck with injuries, health issues and the promotion of Daley Blind at centre-back, saw him start just seven games in all competitions last season under Louis van Gaal.

But new boss Mourinho is keen to sit down with Jones when he returns from holiday in order to explain where the centre-back fits in his plans for United in the coming seasons.

And while there is no official word on the Portuguese’s intentions, sources around the club indicate that a reassurance of Jones’ importance to the squad seems likely to be Mourinho’s main motivation in calling the meeting.

Since arriving at United in 2011 as a 19-year-old, Jones has become known for his ability to cover several positions. Despite being a central defender by trade, he has also excelled as a right-back and a central midfielder, furthering notions that Mourinho will find a spot for him thanks to his flexibility.

With rumours abounding that Blind will be told he is not part of Mourinho plans, that could also come as a boost to Jones at a time when the signing of Eric Bailly from Villarreal for around £30 million had initially seemed to push him further down the pecking order among United’s defensive stocks.