One to watch - Phil Jones

Phil Jones has been described as a “Rolls-Royce” of a player and has been highlighted as the future captain of Blackburn (if they can hold onto him that is). He is not your typical English centre-half as he is comfortable on the ball, a quality which was aided by his displays in the middle of the park for Rovers. Jones will be marshalling England's defence at the UEFA U21 Championships and if England are to go one better than their runners-up finish in 2009, then this Preston-born lad will have to be on top of his game.

PROFILE:
Club	Blackburn Rovers
Squad No	28
Nationality	English
Age	19
Height	1.80m
Weight	71kg
Career Record: Club U21	37 apps 0 goals 07 apps 0 goals

BACKGROUND

Philip Anthony Jones was born in Preston, England on February 21st 1992. Jones, who has been at Blackburn since the age of 11, was promoted from Blackburn’s Academy to their Reserve team after only a year. He made his first team debut in a Carling Cup match against Nottingham Forrest in September 2009. He acquitted himself exceptionally well and was awarded with the Man of the Match award.



Powerful, strong and an excellent reader of the game

Jones could not have had a tougher task in his Barclays Premier League debut in March 2010, which saw him thrown in the deep-end against Chelsea’s formidable strike duo of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. Jones passed the test with flying colours. He was constantly in the right place to make crucial challenges and more often than not, cleared his lines successfully. Former Liverpool Legend and one of the finest defenders of all time, Alan Hansen, praised Jones' performance as, "unbelievably good". At the end of his first campaign in English football, he had made nine appearances and penned a new five-year deal with Rovers. 
 

Jones is uncompromising in the tackle but times them perfectly

The campaign that has passed can be seen as a coming of age season for Jones, one in which Blackburn secured final day salvation on “Survival Sunday”. Despite the teams struggles, Jones’ continued to deliver top quality performances, which attracted interest from Arséne Wenger and Kenny Dalglish. Former Rovers custodian, Dalglish, has personally gone to assess the youngster on couple of occasions this season. However, Blackburn’s current manager, Steve Kean, is adamant that any side wishing to acquire Jones’ services must be willing to spend big. "We want to sit down with all the younger ones and explain what we want to do as a club over the next two, three or four years," he said. "If they decide they want to move on then the clubs concerned will have to pay top dollar because they are under very, very long contracts and the fees we would be demanding would be massive."

However, Jones is philosophical on the issue and has his feet firmly planted on the ground. "I tend not to read the papers or listen to what the pundits say about me”, said Jones. "My mates will tell me they saw me in the newspaper linked to this club and that club, but to be honest it goes in one ear and out the other."



Jones will form the bedrock of the England team's backline during the UEFA U21 Championships in Denmark 


Jones made his England Under-19 debut in the 3–1 win over Turkey on November 17th 2009. On August 4th 2010, Jones was called up to the England Under-21 squad. Six days later, Jones won his first Under-21 cap, starting for England against Uzbekistan. To date, he has eleven U21 Caps. On his future ambitions in football Jones says, "Obviously I want to win things, and hopefully play for England at senior level. Representing your country is a massive achievement."

PLAYING STYLE

Jones is a commanding centre-half who is very comfortable on the ball, pacey and excellent in the air. He is an outstanding reader of the game for one so young. Steve Kean best described Phil Jones when he said, "He plays like a 28-year-old, he’s got experience and calmness and when needed he has got that turn of pace."

Comparisons have been drawn with Chelsea’s John Terry, who is a player that Jones admires. "John Terry's definitely someone I idolise - he's a fantastic player and I've always looked up to him".

His ability to play central midfield best highlights Jones’ composure on the ball. His former Manager, Sam Allarydce gave him his first taste of this role against Everton. When Allardyce was  quizzed on how much effort had gone into training for the role he said, "Not a lot. If you are a natural, you are a natural. We talk about the coaching side with great importance but at the end of the day, some people just naturally have the ability that they have and that is why they become a top player. He is a natural - he senses where he should be and what the situation is around him. For a young man, he makes more right decisions than some more experienced players."

If you want to form your own opinions, have a look at this performance of Phil Jones against Manchester United and don't forget to comment: