Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal Keeping Tabs on Out-of-Favour Manchester United Defender

​Manchester United defender, Phil Jones, is on the radar of both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal following a lack of game time this season. 

The English defender has just 12 months left on his contract and would be available on a free transfer next summer should the Red Devils decide against triggering their 12-month extension option in Jones' contract. 

It is believed that, despite not being a first-choice centre-back for the Red Devils this season, Manchester United will trigger the extension, according to The Sun.

One potential reason for this could be that, should United be willing to let the Englishman leave, the extension would allow them to get some money for Jones rather than allowing Premier League rivals to take him for free. 

However, this could be a cynical way of looking at it and there's a good chance that United actually want to keep Jones for at least one more season. 

Whilst not being a regular starter, Jones has ample experience of playing in the Premier League, having joined Manchester United from Blackburn Rovers in 2011 for a fee of £15m. He has since made 194 appearances for the club and is still only 26-years-old.

Jones may have made more appearances for the club had it not been for his dire injury record. The Englishman is currently behind Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof in the Manchester United pecking order, and it is a partnership that has seen the Red Devils improve on their poor start to the season.

Should Jones choose to leave, Arsenal may well be the better option as they have a less settled centre-back pairing. The Gunners currently have to pick between Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, whilst Laurent Koscielny remains out with an injury. 

Manchester United next face Manchester City in the Manchester derby, before facing a struggling Crystal Palace at Old Trafford after the international break.