Jones: Leader In The Making

The old adage decrees that a jack of all trades is a master of none. In Phil Jones, United may well have found an exception to the rule.

Still just 21 and already in his third season at Old Trafford, the England international perfectly showcased his incredible flexibility in November's victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal. Flawless in a defensive midfield role for 45 minutes, Jones was then redeployed in central defence in the second half due to Nemanja Vidic's concussion, and he was equally unyielding.

While Wayne Rooney's line-leading omnipresence earned him the official man of the match accolade, Jones' understated contribution was just as important in stifling the Gunners' creativity and, after his withdrawal from the engine room afforded Arsene Wenger's side slightly more space, demolishing any attacks on United's back four.

It takes a special player to affect such a high-level game so decisively from two different positions, especially at 21. Already in his professional career, Jones has enjoyed successful stints as a centre-back, central midfielder, right-back and man-marker. It turns out that versatility has been a common theme throughout the youngster's football life.

"He never even played in the back four for us," says Phil Hindley, who coached the nine-year-old Jones in Ribble Wanderers' Under-10s team in Preston, where Jones was born. "You could play him anywhere across the midfield or anywhere upfront and he'd regularly be among our top scorers. It's definitely rare to see a kid with the football intelligence to do that at that age. One or two positions, maybe, but not that many, and especially not when they're playing with kids a year older than them like Phil was.

"What particularly struck me about him at the time was his strength. A year's age gap at that stage is quite significant, but he more than held his own. His resistance to physical pain was exceptional as well. At that age, they'll go flying into a tackle, run on for a bit and then require treatment and there would be tears. With Phil you could see he was physically very strong and had a very high pain threshold too.

"He's the best header of a ball I've seen among kids, even at that age. At nine he could make that classic jump where the player seems to almost hover, and I remember him winning a cup final for us with one such header from a corner. You can still see that power and desire in him now. He's obviously a long way away from the lad who I worked with, but there are still traits that I recognise. Even at centre-half against Arsenal when he was bringing the ball out, it rings a bell with me."

Already affiliated with Blackburn's school of excellence, Jones shifted position as he steadily ascended Rovers' ranks, moving infield to centre midfield from the right flank, then retreating to central defence, where he settled and played his way into manager Sam Allardyce's first team. The League Cup was utilised as a proving ground for the 17-year-old, at which point he was fast-tracked into England's Under-19s setup.

"With a name like that, I had just assumed that he was Welsh," laughs Noel Blake, England's Under-19s coach. "I was aware of Phil from my time at Stoke, when he impressed against us for Blackburn. When I went to the national team, I went into Blackburn to do some work with Gary Bowyer, who was then their Academy coach. Phil walked past and I said: 'I've always liked him; shame he's Welsh.' 'No, he's English," Gary said. Phil came into the next squad.

"He had always played well at the back for Blackburn and that's where he came in for us for his debut, and for the opening game in our European Championship qualifiers alongside Steven Caulker, but after that his final two games for us were both in a midfield holding role next to [former United midfielder] Matty James. He was outstanding. His team game and understanding were terrific, and his ability to get forward as well was an important factor.

"He wasn't just a holding player who sat there all day long. He had - and has - the intelligence to know when and where to get forward. He did it from central defence too. In a really tight game against Republic of Ireland, Phil stepped out from the back and drove from the edge of our box to the edge of their box and got a foul. We scored from the resulting free-kick and won the game 1-0, so he made the difference from that position."

It was at centre-back that Jones demonstrated his inclination to shine under greater pressure, making his Premier League bow for Blackburn against title-chasing Chelsea in March 2010. Up against Blues behemoth Didier Drogba, Jones was unfazed - even after the Ivorian's early opener - and went on to win the man of the match award in a 1-1 draw.

"I remember him ploughing through a 50-50 challenge with Didier Drogba," recalled Gary Bowyer, now Rovers manager, "and then going straight into another with Frank Lampard. He came through both tackles with the ball and just stood there, clenching his fist. It nearly lifted the roof off, the reaction it got from the crowd."

While those heroics aided United's bid for an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League crown, he proved equally destructive when the Reds visited Ewood Park later that month, blunting a Dimitar Berbatov-led attack in a goalless draw which would ultimately derail United's title defence. Once again, Jones scooped the man-of-the-match award.

Now painfully aware of the youngster's defensive potential, Sir Alex Ferguson was further impressed later that year, as Jones somehow managed to emerge from Rovers' 7-1 mauling at Old Trafford with his reputation enhanced. Operating in central midfield, Jones was "running everywhere, giving them all [his team-mates] stick," Ferguson recalled. "I took a close interest from that point on."

As with his versatility and nous, Jones" resolve runs deep. "He was a winner, even as a kid," recalls Phil Hindley. "Even in the five-a-side game at the end of training, Phil was desperate to win." "He leads people," adds Blake. "At Blackburn, Phil wanted to do extra every day. He was back at the gym, always wanting to do more. He's self-driven... self-made in many respects."

Jones' drive and talent earned him a string of admirers throughout his time at Blackburn, but it was the lure of United which tempted him away from Ewood Park in the summer of 2011. Within 10 weeks of his first season at Old Trafford, he had operated in three positions with eye-catching results. Initially charged with shutting down Liverpool's Charlie Adam at Anfield in his first man-specific role, Jones was soon frying bigger fish. Last term he became a devastatingly effective coagulant to the free-flowing, free-scoring games of Tottenham's Gareth Bale and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo; history's two most expensive players.

On such duties, Jones' energy and reading of the game shine through. As a central midfielder or right-back, his power and bravery elevate him. In the centre of defence, his own preferred role, there is a breathless joy to watching him maraud forward, in the same vein as Jaap Stam used to plough down the centre of the field, opponents clinging to him like Lilliputians to Gulliver. Now a key player for club and country, the question remains: what is the best use of Phil Jones?

"People keep going on that he needs to find a position," says United's first team coach Phil Neville, himself a versatile operator in a variety of defensive and midfield roles during his playing career. "I don't worry about that because eventually he will find his position."

"People forget how young he is. If he's a centre-back, centre-backs don't peak until they're 27, 28 or 29. Look back on Rio, who has been one of the very best centre-backs. Early in his career he played in a three, sometimes as a sweeper, the odd game in midfield, and then when he got to 26 he was a centre back and he was one of the best centre backs. That's what it's going to be like for Phil."

"He's going to be great in midfield in some games, great at centre-back in some games, but what he has got is the physical capacity to play in every position on the pitch, so that's a massive strength and he shouldn't worry about nailing down a position. I've seen him play for England in midfield, at right back and at centre-back and he could be the best in that position in the country, so he just needs to keep progressing the way he's doing."

While Jones was a regular inclusion under Sir Alex Ferguson, Neville feels that David Moyes' arrival can open the door to a special education, given the former Everton manager's knack for developing defenders at Goodison Park. As part of an evolving defence at Old Trafford, the stage is set for Jones to take on a role of his choosing.

"I say the same about [Chris] Smalling and Rafa [da Silva]: Phil has got a manager now who is outstanding at working with and developing young defenders," he says. "Joleon Lescott, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Seamus Coleman... he developed these into international class players. They had great ability, but he worked them, gave them lots of training and persevered with them and now you see the fruits. We've a young defence here and they're going to get a lot of work that will improve them, and as long as he listens and keeps learning, Jonah can be as good as he wants to be.

"Phil's got all the natural ability needed to play in any position on the pitch. Now what he needs to do... the concentration part comes. That comes with age and experience. Cut out mistakes, if the ball's being cleared, clear it properly, get in the right positions. There will come a time when he has to start leading that back four, start being the Steve Bruce, the Jaap Stam, the Rio Ferdinand and lead the back four, bring people into position, because he is a leader in the way that he plays. People feed off his enthusiasm and he leads the team. That's his next development now: can he consistently play well, and then can he lead and become United's captain in the next five years? That's the challenge ahead."

In the meantime, the pigeonholing of Phil Jones can wait while his unquestionable talent continues to soar.

This article first appeared in the official matchday programme, United Review.