The manager described the England
international as an "animal for football" and believes the
21-year-old will by vying for a centre-back spot after shining in a variety of
roles
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
has hailed the ability of versatile Phil Jones, praising the youngster's talent
as "unbelievable".
The Red Devils boss parted with £16.5 million
in 2011 to secure the centre-back's services from Blackburn in light of
reported interest from other interested parties.
And the United boss has since been able to
call upon the 21-year-old to occupy in three different positions during his
time at Old Trafford - centre-back, full-back and as a defensive midfielder -
and, whilst the Scot believes Jones' best position is in the heart of the defence,
he believes he could excel anywhere.
"Jones is going to be a fantastic
player, his talent is unbelievable,” Ferguson told Inside United. "Yes
[his best position is centre-back] but you could play him anywhere. I think you
could play him centre-forward!
"He’s just that type of player, he’s an
animal for football. He grasps the game, he understands it. Play him
right-back? Brilliant. Play him centre-midfield? No problem. Play him
centre-back? Terrific.
"He’s just one of those unusual players
you get now and again who can play anywhere. We’ve not had a player like him in
terms of someone who can play at that performance level since, well the closest
you would get would be Brian McClair."
With Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans
looking to replace the aging Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic over the coming
years, competition in defence is strong at Old Trafford and Ferguson is
delighted with the level of ability in his ranks.
"Jonny's been really brilliant this
season," enthused the United boss. "He's 25 years old now and,
hopefully for the next six or seven years, he could be a regular centre-back
for us.
"Obviously, Rio is 34 now and Vidic is
31. [Patrice] Evra is 31 so, in that sense, players like Smalling, Jones and
Evans will come to the fore."
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