Moran's Respect For Jones

Former Manchester United defender Kevin Moran respects Phil Jones' attitude to the game and says it is impossible for a player to be too brave.

Moran shed blood on numerous occasions for the Reds' cause during his decade at Old Trafford (1978-1988) and was known as a fearless centre-back who was willing to put his body on the line.

With Jones consistently showing his determination to make spirited challenges, whether in defence or midfield, it has led to the England international picking up occasional injuries and he told Inside United last year that he would temper his tackling.

Moran, however, has been impressed by the combative 21-year-old, who returned to the side against Newcastle United and scored the winner against Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.

"You can’t be too brave," Moran told ManUtd.com. "I don’t think there is such a thing. If you see a ball, you have got to for it.

"Maybe, you have got to pick and choose your tackles a little bit more now because it is so easy to get booked. But that sort of thing is different to being brave. Being brave is to be willing to go for a ball when there may be a bit of danger but you are still willing to go and do it.

"It’s not that you want to pick up a yellow or red card for it – you don’t want to get involved in stupid things either but bravery is very much part of it. Fans love to see players who are brave."

Moran accepts that the game has changed since his heyday when he famously played on with all manner of injuries, including head wounds.

"In our day, they put Vaseline in the hole that was created by the cut and on you went," he recalled. "These days you would have to come off the field."