Preston-born Philip Jones has been one of the more reliable players at Manchester United, ever since his arrival in the summer of 2011 from Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £17m. Often a victim of his own versatility, Phil Jones has never nailed down a berth in the starting 11. Usually, he’s in the heart of United’s defence but has featured in the midfield several times as a destroyer alongside Michael Carrick and played as a right-back. A new manager in charge, and the tactical change from playing a conventional back four with two centre-backs to fielding a back three with an extra centre-back, should give Phil Jones confidence in cementing a place at the heart of United’s defence.
Phil Jones did sound very positive positive about the change, stating he would welcome the tactical alteration with open arms and will be ready to adapt to it. He said,
“We played three at the back, with Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia as wing-backs, and it worked. It’s a learning process, but we’re getting used to it. Day-by-day we’re getting better and we’ll be ready for the start of the season. This is the first time I’ve played three at the back. That’s what the gaffer believes in. If he believes in that, then we believe in that as well. I don’t think it’s hard to adjust to. At times you’ve got the two wing-backs helping you as well so, hopefully, it’ll be good going forward.”
Phil Jones as a Midfielder
Phil Jones often played as a defensive midfielder in the last two seasons, featuring alongside Michael Carrick or Tom Cleverley. He’d use his towering physique to out-muscle the opponents and try to break down the opposition moves in the middle of the park. Add to that an ability to hold the ball well and the knack of finding a team-mate during pressure scenarios. He started 26 games in the league last season with 10 of them in the middle of the field.
 
- Big Phil as a Midfielder
Phil Jones, as a destroyer, has shown impressive passing  abilities with a pass completion of just under 88%. The opposition dispossessed him a paltry 11 times, and he has been able to win the ball back 113 times, including 50 times in the middle third of the pitch. He’s even assisted a couple of goals in the league, plus getting on the score-sheet once himself, doing justice to his reputation of being the ‘jack of all trades’. His best game last season as a defensive midfielder came against Arsenal when he had Ozil in his pocket, shutting down one of the best equipped teams in the middle. That said, he can be erratic in his positioning at times, often unaware of who is around him, which could open up spaces for the opposition to pounce on. Otherwise, he could well make a decent defensive midfielder even though he feels he’s played out of position when fielded in the middle.
Phil Jones as a Centre-Back
As he’s often let others know, he feels most comfortable and in-his-zone when played at the heart of defence. He can develop into a very good central defender for Manchester United in the coming years, combining expertly with either Evans or Smalling or alongside the more experienced Vidic/Rio at times, putting in solid displays on a regular basis. That doesn’t necessarily warrant his consistency at the back, but he could be consistent if he’s played there on a regular basis. This tactical change from two central defenders to three will only go on to ensure his constant presence at the back provided he stays fit for a good part of the season.
Jones is usually good in the air, aided by his physical build and possesses an impressive spring. He won 57% of his aerial duels and emerged victorious in 60% of his ground duels. He also boasts a good tackle success rate of 74% – and was dribbled past just 19 times in over 26 games. Averaging 2.6 tackles per game, he has also blocked a total of 19 shots and cleared the ball out to safety 150 times. Notably, he did not made a defensive error last season which shows he is the no-nonsense defender Man United need at the moment. Statistics prove he could turn into an excellent centre-back when nurtured properly and given a good run of games in his preferred position..
Verdict
Having lost a wealth of experience in the shape of Evra, Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, the onus is now on the next generation defenders to take up the mantle and drive the team forward. Phil Jones is already looking forward to replacing the senior players, having learnt a great deal playing alongside them in training and games. Speaking to the media while on pre-season tour, Jones said:
“Of course, replacing those guys is ultimately what I want to be doing. Everyone is trying to impress and hopefully we can start the season off well. You have got to thrive on the challenge. We have lost two great defenders in Rio and Nemanja. But that’s football and we move on. We have got good players to replace them and hopefully we can all step up and improve that.”
It is a huge ask to replace them all in a single season. But in Phil Jones, Manchester United have got a player and a central defender who has age and untapped potential on his side. The determination to play for the shirt will help himself and the club evolve in the long run. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, he could become one of the greatest players to have pulled on a Manchester United shirt. Whether he will go on to become that, remains to be seen.
