Shin splints force Manchester United's Phil Jones to miss clash with Chelsea

Injuries continue to plague Manchester United defender Phil Jones, who missed Sunday's encounter with Chelsea because of shin splints.

Manager Louis Van Gaal didn't offer a timetable for Jones's return due to the unpredictability of the recovery from such an injury.

Jones returned to the United line-up last week when he started their Premier League match against West Brom. He played the entire 90 minutes and didn't appear injured at the conclusion of his first game in more than a month since suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty with England.

Manchester United used a centre back pairing of Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo during their 1-1 draw with the league leaders Sunday. They have been forced to experiment with multiple combinations throughout the season because of injuries.