Phil Jones received plenty of hype in his first season at United, with Sir Bobby Charlton likening him to Duncan Edwards and the press claiming he was the future England captain.

Whilst last season he seemed to escape injury-free from crunching tackles, this season he has found himself injured repeatedly, following on from his predecessor of the #4 shirt.

Sir Alex Ferguson has sung his praises today though, claiming that he will only get better.

“Jones is going to be a fantastic player, his talent is unbelievable,” said Ferguson. “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. Now, Brian McClair was a fantastic player. He could play anywhere, McClair. I remember kidding him on once; I said to him, just go and play in the right-back area and he laughed. I said to him, ‘What are you laughing at?’ and he said, ‘Next week I’ll be centre-half.’ But that was his character, so composed about life. Nothing bothered him.”

------------ Made in Manchester is available for just £5. It includes 30 articles from the country's best football writers about graduates from the Manchester United academy.. All profit goes to Trafford Macmillan so please support this fantastic cause.