Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Phil Jones: United's new midfield enforcer?

It looks like its going to be a summer of rebuilding for Manchester United, but it appears they may have already addressed a huge issue, a holding midfielder. With Owen Hargreaves injury issues over the last couple of years, United has been lacking at this spot. But their first singing on the season may have addressed. On 13 June 2011, United confirmed that they had reached an agreement to sign Blackburn Rovers' Phil Jones for £16.5m ; the deal would be finalised upon his return from international duty.

While most people view him as a defender, Jones might be able to slide into United's holding midfield roll. According to Football-Lineups.com, Jones started 24 games in the Premier League last year: 6 games at CB and 18 CM.

Some people view Jones as a defender, but I'm in favor of letting him play as a holding midfielder. One of the things that is lost on people is that Sir Alex likes bigger center backs and Jones does not fit that bill, being only 5ft 11in. With that in mind, I have a feeling that Sir Alex brought him in to be the next Owen Hargreaves.

So the rebuilding has begun and it looks like Phil Jones is set to be a one of the building blocks for both the present and the future.