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Publish Date: Monday, February 11, 2019 8:25 am
Phil Jones think everyone takes Manchester United again seriously after being "a laughing stock" early in the season.
Few could have predicted the recovery of fortune overseen by Acting Director Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since Jose Mourinho's replacement in December.
United has won 10 of the 11 Norwegian matches in the hotseat, pushing him to break records, becoming the first manager of the month for United since the appointment of Sir Alex Ferguson and becoming the favorite of the bookies to hold this position permanently.
Solskjaer's excellent audition continued with a 3-0 win against Fulham on Saturday, a result that put them in the top four for the first time since opening weekend of the season.
United was 11 points out of the top four when Mourinho was fired, but Jones, the Premier League world champion with the club in 2013, believes he's back.
"It was a great match for us," he said. "We knew we could get into the top four.
"It's a great statement of our position, we just have to keep improving and keep scoring points."
When asked if it was a big psychological boost to being fourth, Jones added, "Yeah, huge.
"Everyone must take us seriously now, you know?
"OK, we may have been a laughing stock maybe at the start of the season, but certainly not now.
"We've proved it in the last 10 or 12 games. We are improving, we are still improving. "
United won 25 points in nine league games with Solskjaer, one point less than Mourinho did in the first 17 games of the season.
Asked about the change in mindset, Jones said, "Yeah, a simple positivity about where to get tangible results when we're not playing well, playing with intention and purpose, and that's exactly what we're going to do.
"You can see him every game. We create a number of chances and put them aside.
"It was difficult for everyone (at the beginning of the season).
"Everyone at the club, the fans, everyone. But it's about getting stronger and going through it. I think we did.
"I said in the past, we have not done anything yet. We have no illusions about this, but we are moving in the right direction. "
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