Phil jones looks at a top class player to come, come on neil have you seen him at this season. Talent as he is, he is a diaster at centre back and his been this season for man united, positionally he is awful and he is pretty short so has a problem dealing with high balls which has been exposed a number of times this year. Only difference now is jones is under spot light compared to his blackburn days where he played a significant number of games in midfield or a back 5. Jones has been vastly overrated and theres a reason ferguson has moved him to right back and midfield.
Disagree mate I think he's brilliant. I think he's had a steep learning curve playing with the likes of Evans and Smalling in a transitional United defence which has been all over the place because Ferdinand, Vidic, Rafael, Smalling etc have been injured so much and yes he has made mistakes but the reason they have moved him to RB and DM so much is because they don't have a good DM and haven't had RBs fit as above. He is a proper footballer, very intelligent with all the raw gifts.
Exactly. Another overrated over-hyped English defender.
Nah, Kenny & Clarke wanted to spend £16m on him because he is boss. He is going to be a great player - he is not a run of the mill Prem defender, he could be as good for United as Terry was for Chelsea in his prime. Gutted we missed out on him.
Here is Phil Jones career before this season
and
Seb Coates career before this season
It is abundantly clear which player had the most experience the one who has been playing Top flight Uruguayan Football, had reached the semi final of the South American equivalent of the Champions League, had played in the U20 World Cup and the South American U20 Championship and the one who had won both the Copa America title and the Copa America best young player.
We need to start remembering which team reached the semi's of the World Cup and which Country is it's continents Champions.
It is abundantly clear that Phil Jones had the most Premier League experience and has far more experience at this level in this country than Coates and that is what I said. I didn't make any claim disputing their experience overall, I think you're intelligent enough to see that. Jones had already had a great year at Blackburn, most of it playing at CB and impressing week in, week out. It takes time to adapt to a new country and a different style of football. Coates may be better than Jones in the long haul and I hope he is but if Jones was here he would be in our first team already because he is ready for this league and has excelled in it and Coates is clearly not yet, or Kenny & Steve would pick him ahead of Carra. I don't think the international comparison of Uruguay and England is relevant to this debate and I don't think your point about Ferguson blooding young but Premiership experienced players compares with our management taking their time with a youngster new to this country. I agree with the likes of Tim Vickery, the transition is huge and cannot be made overnight.