‘I am Sure he Will Captain Them and he will Captain England’

Phil Jones will one day captain Manchester United and England according to Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean.

The prodigiously gifted 19-year-old is one of the most vaunted young talents this country has produced in a generation and his reputation has patently been enhanced by his move to Manchester United in the summer.

Jones has featured in more games for Sir Alex Ferguson's side than any other Manchester United player this season and although he arrived at the club with a burgeoning standing in English football, the maturity and authority the versatile youngster has displayed has belied his relative inexperience.

The Manchester United star has already earned lavish comparisons with some of football's most famous names, notably Duncan Edwards and Bryan Robson, but Kean suggests Jones has always been destined for great things and plenty more accolades lie ahead for the Lancashire born sensation.

"I have not been surprised at how Phil Jones has settled into life at Manchester United one bit," The Blackburn manager told a press conference ahead of their match at Old Trafford on Saturday.

"When I first saw Phil down at the academy I thought 'this boy is a player'. I always hoped he would captain our club. Now he is at Manchester United, I am sure he will captain them and he will captain England."

Manchester United host lowly Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on New Year's Eve and Jones is expected to have shaken off the illness which prevented him from playing against Wigan on Boxing Day.