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Solskjaer lauds Jones professionalism as Man Utd defender named in squad for West Ham

Phil Jones will be back in the Manchester United squad for the Carabao Cup third-round meeting with West Ham United.

The veteran defender has recently ran out for the U23 side against Arsenal and Brighton as part of his recovery from a knee injury.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hailed Jones for his professionalism and could pick him to face the Hammers on Wednesday.

"I'm so happy for Phil," Solskjaer told the club's website.

"He has completed two 90 minutes for the Under-23s, played some minutes behind closed doors and he's got no reaction on his knee. He's been working really hard."

"I've been part of that myself and had the best part of three years, or at least more than two out of three years, and I know what challenges he's been through, mentally, thinking: 'Will I ever play football again or even be able to walk again and be able to play with the kids in the garden.'

"He's been so diligent and so professional; no frills, no social media and I'm old school. I like players like that. He just focuses on one thing and gets his head around the challenges and he's back. He will be in the squad. It's a good day for him and for us, and it's something that he has earned."

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