5 Things Phil Jones Must Do to Take His Game Forward in 2014/15 Season

Phil Jones was described by Sir Alex Ferguson as having the potential to become one of Manchester United’s all-time greats, per Simon Stone of the Press Association via Mail Online.

His performances in the early part of this season were promising—he looked to be the player who had best adapted to Louis van Gaal’s back three.

However, he is now injured again, and Van Gaal has moved away from the back three. Here are five things Jones must do to work toward fulfilling the potential Sir Alex saw in him. 

Phil Jones’ single biggest problem is the amount of time he spends injured. 

Jones’ style is full of zest and bombast, which is a joy to watch when it is going well. However, it does mean he runs an increased risk of impact injuries, and indeed self-inflicted injuries caused by overzealous challenges.

It is absolutely vital for Jones to spend more time healthy. Without that, the rest of these suggestions are redundant. 

Jones has been played at centre-half in a back three and a back four, at right-back, and in midfield. The danger of this versatility is that he becomes a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Jones himself sees his eventual settled position as being at centre-half, per Sky Sports, and there is plenty of evidence from his performances there to suggest it is his best spot.

United’s squad lacks for options at right-back, and perhaps Jones will be called upon to cover there occasionally. However, in general, he should get a run of games at centre-half and nail down the position as his own. 

Having said all of the above about the importance of Jones playing regularly as a centre-half, there is one other role he has been effective in.

Against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final in 2013, Jones performed a man-marking job on Cristiano Ronaldo. Operating as a midfielder in name only, Jones was essentially Ronaldo’s shadow.

He was also asked to man-mark Marouane Fellaini in a clash with Everton, and he was so effective that United were not troubled by the Belgian, who had previously terrorised them.

He should be considered a central defender first and foremost, but he should continue to practice the specialist midfield man-marking roles for the occasions when a specific threat needs to be countered. 

Rio Ferdinand is one of the finest central defenders ever to ply his trade in a United shirt. However, throughout the early part of his career, there was a sense that he suffered from lapses in concentration, which often led to an error.

When his partnership with Nemanja Vidic hit its stride, Ferdinand almost completely cut those inconsistencies out of his game. Jones needs a similar transformation.

There are signs that it is already happening. Before his injury this season, Jones had looked assured in a defence that generally looked anything but. If he continues on this path, he will be a greatly improved player come this time next year. 

On Wednesday, September 24, I wrote about United lacking on-pitch leadership.

Phil Jones has the opportunity to position himself as the natural successor to Wayne Rooney as United captain.

Jones’ committed style can serve as an inspiration to those around him. He now needs to shift his mindset from that of a young defender, learning at the feet of the greats, to a player with the capacity to become a great himself.

If he navigates that transition, he can improve both his own fortunes and the fortunes of the club.