Manchester United defender Phil Jones is hoping to bounce back from Sunday’s dire 1-1 draw with West Ham United, as the Reds host Burnley on Wednesday night.

Cheikhou Kouyate believed he had secured all three points for the hammers on Sunday as his second-half volley looked to have van Gaal’s side buried, until Daley Blind scored a dramatic equaliser in added time.

As a result, United fell to fourth place sitting just a single point above Tottenham Hotspur. Mirroring West Ham’s successful 4-3-1-2 formation which saw them initially compete for a place in Europe, Jones featured for the full 90 minutes – his 13th appearance this season.

He has now called upon his teammates to secure all three points against Burnley during the midweek match; which could see them leapfrog Southampton – who host West Ham United the same evening.

"In the end, we are disappointed in the dressing room that we didn’t take all three points," he said prior to the clash. "But West Ham pressed us well and I think a draw was a fair result.

The manager said in the dressing room after the game that he couldn’t fault our spirit. If we had shown that more in the first half then we might have come away with a victory.

"Ultimately, we are disappointed. We needed to win and it was a big game for us. We have not lost, which is a plus, but we could have gained some ground. It was not to be. We have got another big game on Wednesday night now and we need to win that one as well.”

With former Red Michael Keane expected to start in the heart of the defence for the Clarets – United’s first piece of business in the January transfer window – Jones also commented on van Gaal’s reaction to the lacklustre draw. He said:

"The manager said in the dressing room after the game that he couldn’t fault our spirit. If we had shown that more in the first half then we might have come away with a victory. But we need to address and evaluate this game. Then we will move on to the Burnley game."

He also credited the host’s relentless pressing throughout the 90 minutes, while lamenting his side’s inability to find the net or create dangerous chances prior to the opening strike.

"The spaces weren’t really there in the first half and unfortunately it took a goal from them for the spaces and the gaps to appear, for us to find those pockets to get Robin [van Persie] and [Radamel] Falcao on the ball, playing one-twos in and around the box and creating chances in the second half.

"We created two or three great opportunities in the second half that unfortunately didn’t go in, but thankfully Daley stuck that one in at the end and got us a draw."

Manchester United have lost just one of their last 17 league matches – falling to Southampton in early January.

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About the author
Kane Brooker
Kane is an 18-year-old Sports Journalist who predominantly covers Manchester United FC while having a heavy involvement in the Boxing office. Having joined the VAVEL team back in October 2014, he has previously featured for Sky Sports News while writing regularly for The Non-League Paper. Kane is also the club reporter, programme editor and press and communications officer for Walton Casuals Football Club.