'He laughed' - How Sheffield United star's dad reacted to son's Man Utd selection

The 38-year-old defender was handed a rare start for the Blades due to John Egan’s suspension but didn’t put a foot wrong as Chris Wilder’s side recorded a remarkable 2-1 victory against the title-chasing Red Devils.

It was only Jagielka’s third start in the Premier League this season but he rolled back the years by producing a man-of-the match display on a historic night at Old Trafford.

Ironically, his last outing came as a substitute in United’s 3-2 defeat against the same opponents at Bramall Lane last month when he endured a difficult night against Marcus Rashford.

And the former Everton and England man revealed afterwards how is dad reacted when he told him he would be starting against Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s men.

"He laughed. He said typical, but he said go and enjoy it,” said Jagielka.

"It could obviously be the last time that I do play on this pitch.

"These opportunities don’t come round too often. I wasn’t sure exactly how the result would go and how the night would go but as it is, you can tell by my smile on my face, everyone’s delighted and obviously I am as well.”

His dad would have been proud with the shift he put in at the Theatre of Dreams last night as was his delighted manager.

“I thought it was right to play the experienced boys,” said Wilder. “Billy Sharp and David McGoldrick gave us a platform to try and get something from the game.

“I should imagine from Phil’s point-of-view, in the twilight of his career, it’s a great moment for him personally.”

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