Jones: Let's Keep Progressing

Phil Jones believes the current Manchester United squad have made big strides forward during the 2016/17 campaign and the defender says everyone is determined to build on a memorable season.

It may have been a long, tough journey this term with 64 games in all, but the Reds rounded things off in the best possible way as the players claimed a third trophy of the season with victory in the Europa League final against Ajax, and in turn booked a place in next season's Champions League.

The European triumph followed the EFL Cup and Community Shield wins and while the squad would have liked to have improved results in the Premier League, Jones insists the team can use this successful campaign as a springboard for more going forward.

"There is no doubt that when everyone is fit and everyone is playing well and confident we can take on anyone," he told ManUtd.com during an interview in the final week of the season. "We’re not scared of anyone and we don’t look at other clubs and think we’re miles away from them, far from it. But we know we can certainly challenge better than we have done this season in the league.

"It’s been tough at times, especially at home when we’ve created loads of chances but there has been some goalkeeping heroics or we’ve made the wrong pass at the key time, but ultimately I think we’ve had a good season."

Being back in the Champions League is something everyone connected to the club is excited about and Jones admits that the path the Reds took to get there, via a 15-game run in the Europa League travelling long distances and dealing with some hostile atmospheres away from home, has prepared the team well for next season's challenges.

"Collectively as a squad whoever has played in the games and travelled has dug deep and we thoroughly deserved to get to the final," he added. "We worked hard to get there and ultimately the Champions League is where we want to be and the football we want to be playing next season. That’s where the club belongs and we had to earn that right. We've learnt a lot from the experience and that can only help us."