MANCHESTER, England -- It says everything about Manchester United's opening game of 2022 that Phil Jones returned for his first appearance in 708 days and was, by some distance, their best player.
It's no disrespect to Jones, without a game since January 2020 as he battled back from a serious knee injury. He did his bit admirably, but if you had to pick out the United player who hadn't played for two years, he would have been well down the list.
Ralf Rangnick's team slumped to a 1-0 defeat on Monday -- Wolves' first win at Old Trafford since 1980 and the German's first loss since taking over as interim coach -- but without Jones it would have been far more comprehensive.