Phil Jones

 

  Phil Jones

 

Phil Jones Biography 

Name : Phil Jones 

Born : 21 Feb 1992

Birth place : Preston, Lancashire 

Height : 6' 2'' (1.88m)

Weight : 72 kg

Position : Defender

Squad Number : 4

Appearances : 4

Joined United : 01 Jul 2011

United Debut : 7 Aug 2011 v Man City (N)

International : England Under-21

Twitter : @PhilJones4

Instagram : @PhilJones_4

It soon became clear when Phil Jones broke into Blackburn's Premier League team in March, 2010, that Rovers had an exceptional young talent on their hands.

An eye-catching debut against Chelsea brought inevitable comparisons with Blues skipper John Terry, as the robust stopper swiftly handled the elevation in class and dealt admirably with some of the biggest names in the country.

United hitman Wayne Rooney was quick to admit Jones was one of his toughest opponents in 2010/2011 when the centre-back agreed to join United and his performances against the Reds in consecutive seasons certainly revealed he is a player who clearly loves the art of defending under pressure.

Sir Alex had to beat off competition from other top clubs to land his man, with both Liverpool and Arsenal reportedly keen on one of England's brightest talents, but the youngster was determined to join the champions despite some talk of higher offers from elsewhere.

After a deal was struck with Blackburn, Jones linked up with Chris Smalling at the European Under-21 Championship to potentially offer a fascinating glimpse into the future at club and international level with the central defensive pairing emerging as one of the major plus points from the tournament for Stuart Pearce's side.

Competition for places in the first-team is intense but Jones is also able to turn his hand to a defensive midfield role, a duty he fulfilled with relish at Ewood Park to add another string to his bow, which prompted then manager Sam Allardyce to liken him to Michael Essien because of his versatility.

Despite being compared to Terry or Essien, the defender will become his own man at Old Trafford and look to establish himself in the coming years as a permanent fixture in the side. The graceful way he carries the ball forward, allied to a steely determination to throw his body on the line, means he already has the sort of attributes that will fit in well at United.