Phil Jones's best position is as a defender at Manchester United

Jones has been one of United’s consistent players

Manchester United suffered a rather unlucky 2-1 defeat at the hands of Stoke City yesterday, but the game was an eye opener in many ways, and one of them was the brilliance of Phil Jones. The young defender did a brilliant job in his preferred position as a center-back and even made some vital interceptions in the game while also keeping Stoke’s 6’7″ striker Peter Crouch successfully at bay before being carried off with an injury.

There were some worries that Jones, who has had quite a few injuries, would be out for a while after suffering a concussion but thankfully David Moyes confirmed that his player was fine and would most likely return for next weeks game against Fulham. With the arrival of Juan Mata and the return of Darren Fletcher it is unlikely that Jones will play in United’s midfield anytime soon which is good as the player can do what he does best in the heart of defense.

United’s poor defending was the main cause of the clubs many losses this season so Jones’s return to his best position could not have come at a better time. The England international’s expertise at the back at Blackburn Rovers was one of the main reasons why former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed him back in 2011.

The Scot was so impressed with Jones’s skills that he shelled out around £16 million for the youngsters services. Jonny Evans is finally turning out into a top notch defender he was destined to be, and the Irishman is capable of forming a successful partnership with Jones which may turn out to be as fruitful as the legendary Ferdinand-Vidic partnership. The 21-year-old is not the finished product just yet and will only get better with time.

There were fears that Jones would become another John O’Shea who was good in a number of positions like center-back, defensive midfielder and even goalkeeper – in other words a jack of all trades but master of none. Fortunately for Jones this is not the case and he has shown everyone what he can do when given a chance as a center-back.

The only problem with Jones is that he is prone to injuries. The 21-year-old has had quite a few spells of the pitch and even had a knee operation at the start of the 2012-2013 season before returning to action later that year. If Jones manages to stay largely uninjured this season then he can be a key player in salvaging Manchester United’s season and helping them play Champions League football next year.

Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton compared Jones to the great Duncan Edwards who tragically lost his life at the young age of 21 due to the air crash in Munich in 1958 of 21st February which is the birth-date of Phil Jones. If Jones can fulfill his massive potential then he can become one of the best players in his position in a few years.

The defender has also been underrated this season partly due to the brilliance of Adnan Januzaj but has put in some exceptional performance this year. With the retirement of Rio Ferdinand looking extremely likely Jones time to take center stage at Manchester United is drawing close.