Sir Alex Gives Jones Update

Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled Phil Jones out of Saturday’s clash with QPR but claims the Reds defender has “an outside chance” of facing Real Madrid next month.

The England international limped out of Monday’s 2-1 win over Reading with an ankle injury, prompting fears that he might not be able to face the Spanish champions after performing so admirably at the Bernabeu during last week's UEFA Champions League second round tie.

Speaking during his weekly press conference at Carrington, the boss was cautiously optimistic about Jones - who celebrates his 21st birthday today - but also declared the rest of his squad fit to face Harry Redknapp’s men at Loftus Road in the Barclays Premier League.

“Phil Jones is the one we're concerned about in terms of the Real Madrid game,” Sir Alex told reporters. “We're working hard on it and I'd say he has an outside chance - no more than that.

"Phil tackled awkwardly the other night and tangled his foot there, that's why he has the injury he has. He has the courage and willingness to tackle. Bryan Robson was the same. Bryan couldn't see danger and neither can Phil. It's a measure of his courage and I don't want to take that away from him.

"Phil did an incredible job in Madrid. He doesn't care who he's playing against, he has no fear of playing against anyone. We'll have to wait and see if he's fit for the second leg. It's two weeks away. A lot can happen.

“When you look at his tackles, he tackles like a young man. Maybe he's too brave. He was unbalanced in the tackle and ended up injured. He's an outside chance, that's all. Other than that, everybody's fit for QPR.

“We have a problem picking teams at the moment but that's where we want to me. QPR are fighting for survival and we know it's going to be a hard game. That's what we need - we need to make sure we do our job right.”