Phil Jones has expressed his happiness at making his first Manchester United appearance of the season during last night's 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League.

The defender has spent a number of months on the sidelines with a succession of different injuries.

Despite admitting that there have been some bleak moments during his recovery, Jones has admitted that all the hard work has been worth it.

"I'm knackered to be honest," he told the club's official website. "It wasn't the best of pitches to play on either. It was quite heavy on the legs but I'm delighted to get through 90 minutes. I'm buzzing about that.

"It's been difficult. I've had my downs. I picked up a few niggles and had surgery on my knee so I've had a pretty wretched four or five months.

"I've been in the gym every day and it's not easy. I had to concentrate on getting myself fit and worked quite hard to get to where I am now so I'm just delighted to be back. I'll feel stiff on Wednesday but everything is fine. Hopefully I can push on now, get back in the team and prove why I should be here."

Jones joined the Red Devils last summer from Blackburn Rovers.