Manchester United fans tend to have a soft corner for Phil Jones: I know I do.
For one, he is a Center Back, a position in which United direly need cover at present, and moreover, Center Back is a position in which there is a genuine lack of world class talent in today’s game. Indeed, today’s top Center Backs, it is largely agreed, cannot hold a candle to the greats of the past. In this context then, having a promising and talented young Center Back of your very own, is a thing of pride and much excitement.
Besides, there’s something about young talent that is inherently thrilling: the promise, the potential, and the excitement regarding what the unknown future could behold. Back in the mid-2000s, for instance, when a certain youngster who went by the name Cristiano Ronaldo first burst into the scene at Old Trafford, the fans couldn’t get enough of him. As it panned out, the hype, in his case, was more than justified. Ever since, however, United fans have been thirsting for the next Ronaldo; the next youngster, who will emerge and take the world by storm. After all, United has a long history of producing top class young talent. (Class of ’92, anyone?) The fans expect nothing less.
Of course, Ronaldo has set the benchmark quite high, almost impossibly so. He has spoiled us Manchester United fans. In 2011 then, enter Phil Jones, a strapping lad of 19, boasting a powerful build, leadership quality, and loads of raw talent. Highly rated by Sir Alex Ferguson, who went as far as stating that ‘Phil Jones will be one of the best players we have ever had’, United got his signature beating the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton Such a highly coveted English youngster was bound to generate hype and hike up expectations. Comparisons with the legendary Busby Babe Duncan Edwards, considered by some as the greatest player to have ever worn the United red before his career was tragically cut down by the Munich Air Disaster, made by none other than Bobby Charlton himself, just 4 months into his fledgling United career, certainly did not help in quelling the pressure which threatened to overwhelm the youngster. In short, ever since Jones started his Manchester United career, there has been a lot of hype about him.
But things have changed since 2011. Back then, United’s defense was nearly impenetrable, with the famous Center Back partnership of the experienced and much decorated duo of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Conditions were perfect, then, for a raw teenager to slowly establish himself as a Manchester United player, getting used to the astronomical levels of pressure, expectation and scrutiny that come part and parcel with the famous red shirt.
Cut to 2014: Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, all 3 sold in the same transfer window. A new manager, one Louis van Gaal, is now at the helm, and for the first time in 25 years, United are not going to Europe. The lad of 19 is now 22, and this is his third season at United.
Perhaps then, it is reasonable to say that this is it, his time to shine, his opportunity to catapult himself to the levels that he has shown himself capable of reaching. Wasn’t Ronaldo 22 too, in 2007-08, the season where he scored an astonishing 42 goals?
We are now nearly halfway into the 2014-15 season, and so far, Jones has played a part in only 5 Premier League matches. This has been so because of an unfortunate bout of injuries which has kept him on the sidelines. However, this is not the first time that injuries have plagued the versatile youngster. Ever since his last season at Blackburn Rovers, Phil Jones seems to be accursed with injuries: serious and some less so, but all in all, far too many, far too frequently. It seems like these injuries are his biggest impediment, the greatest obstacle in his path, the thing that is keeping him from finally delivering upon all the promise that he has shown since forever now.
This begs the question; just how much can a footballer be blamed for his injuries? Some say he cannot be blamed at all, that injuries are a part of sport, especially an intense contact-sport such as football. Yet, it cannot be denied that some players genuinely seem to be more injury-prone than others. Is bad fortune the only culprit? Is it a mere coincidence that the best 2 players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, have been by and large injury free for the last 6 years, ever since they first became household names?
The answer to this, perhaps unsurprisingly, combines elements of both these divergent views. While some injuries are inevitable when a player puts his body on the line week in and week out, that is not to say that the player who keeps getting injured is entirely free of blame. For starters, there is the matter of every player’s distinct style of play. Jones’ style is combative, always on the move. He is quite a livewire, and is often overzealous in his game, sometimes engaging in needless, challenges all over the pitch. While this style is well and good per se, even endearing, this has led to an increased injury risk, with a large proportion of his injuries being self-inflicted. He is known to have lapses in concentration, and this lack of continuous and sustained focus does sometimes result in recklessness, all of which is avoidable. In other words, he can do much and more about his saddening injury-record.
It is high time he does so. Louis van Gaal has used 17 different players in defense already, with United having to deal with an unprecedented number of injuries this season. The United boss has fielded 10 different combinations at Center Back alone. Add to that the fact that there are several new players at United owing to this summer’s spending spree, and United need Phil Jones this season like never before.
United are on a winning streak at the moment, but that is no thanks to the defense. De Gea has been out of this world, making up for a woeful defense that leaves much to be desired, and the strikers are finally firing. However, in order to sustain this record and keep up the good work, the defense needs to improve drastically and that immediately too. The January transfer window is around the corner, but our best solution is one already in our ranks. He has been there for a while now.
To his credit, he is making the right noises. “I have been doing a lot in the gym, strength work, yoga, Pilates and loads of other stuff. I will do anything I can to improve myself and hopefully I can look after myself in games too, to make sure I stay fit”, said Jones, recently. “That’s my aim right now – to stay fit and stay focused, and get a run of games under my belt.”
He is fit as of now; the game against Liverpool being his return from injury. Here’s hoping Jones is able to fulfill the aim he has set out for himself, and his promise. Manchester United has been waiting.
***
(This article was first written by me for www.agoaltoremember.com, an up and coming football website managed by some friends of mine. I highly recommend every reader to please check the site as well, for all things football. Thank you!)
kevinjames9595 