]Ferguson rules out loan move for youngster Alex Ferguson has dismissed rumours that 20 year old Southport-born midfielder, David Jones, will be allowed to leave the club on loan next season. "I've always said we already have the long term-replacement for Roy (Keane) already within our ranks. I intend on giving him matches alongside Roy next year. "Roy's season with Bryan (Robson) was crucial to his development and I'm sure young David would benefit from a season playing with a player like Roy Keane." "He (David Jones) is an excellent talent - very exciting. He shows such maturity for someone so young. He's strong in the tackle, an excellent passer of the ball and he chips in with a good amount of goals too. His reading of the game is nothing short of amazing considering his relative lack of experience. The complete midfielder. "You have to remember though, it takes a special player to play central midfield in the Premiership at a young age. Somebody like (Cesc) Fabregas at Arsenal is just a freak occurence. You look at him and you can see he's a special player. Darren Fletcher, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard all started well when they were young, but the latter two have grown tremendously well and blossomed into world-class talents - and I'm confident that Darren will do the same. ----- I can't give you a source. This quote is pasted on several Utd forums and I also recieved it in an email from a friend. I expect it to be genuine as I have heard Fergie rave about the boy many, many times before. No-one at the club has anything but praise for him. I believe that it is now time one of our wonderkids(the other being Rossi) gets his own thread. Fergie saying this kid is the new Keano...is the highest praise there is. Fergie has never stuck his neck out like that over a young talent! I hope some of the stuff I've been saying in the Youth team thread about Jones now makes more sense for anyone with doubts about this kid's quality. If he goes to the very top of the game I for one wont bat an eyelid. Fergie is proclaiming him the 3rd coming! I think that merits discussion.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Yes, it is good news DS. It's signs that Fergie once again is going to show a strong confidence in our youth, and amidst the Glazer takeover, it shows that the club can still remain true to its spirit. It is a lot of praise for David Jones by calling him the next Roy Keane, and the way you've described Jones it would seem that he will use this praise in a constructive way. In a way, I think this means Essien will not be a target for this summer then, as Jones will be very unlikely to get games alongside Keano if Fergie signs "the replacement". However....the fact that no one has given a link to the story is a bit worrying...could be a hoax....nonetheless, even if Fergie hasn't said it, I think the possibility of Jones being a long-term replacement for Keane merits discussion.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! The source thing is a bit bothersome but I know a lot..actually all the man utd forums I go to have no etiquette or requests for sources they just past entire articles, leaving links when they feel like it.. I'm pretty confident it's genuine. Do you know the first thing that struck me when I first saw Jones interviewed was his self-effacement. He credits team-mates, plays down his own brilliance and moves quickly onto other peoples key strengths. Very similar to a Keano interview sans the the snarl I bet Fergie has told this kid his plans and I bet Jones reacted with his usual deadpan expression. He'll never count his chickens before they've hatched..he has futre captain written all over him. I don't have any clue about what this means for our Summer spending. I'd guess it depends on our vision of the future midfield formation. If it's going to be a 4-4-2(assuming Fletcher holds down his 1st team spot next to Jones in the future) then maybe we wont see a bid for Essien but in a future 3man midfield you could see: ---Fletcher----Essien----Jones So you never know. I can't wait to see Jones given run-outs whilst surrounded by the 1st xi. Technically he will not look out of place.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! I've done a quick survey of the mainstream media sources, and a search on google news and they don't seem to have anything. Could be an obscure source, or one that's not online. Meanwhile, rumours in the press are that Ferguson has been given the go ahead by the Glazers to sign Essien. Well, its actually the Sun reporting, hmph
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! be nice for a source cause i can't imagine the manager saying that about Fabregas, it just seems abit unlike him.. if Jones comes in to the team we could go something like this: Jones-Keane-Scholes or Fletcher-Keane-Jones or if we want a more attacking midfield we could go: Fletcher-Jones-Scholes or Fletcher-Jones-Park so there are plenty of options with the central midfielders we have.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! If Jones isn't going to be sent out on loan, I think we need to send Miller out on loan so that not only does Miller get games and try and show if he's worth anything, but it will also leave more room in the squad for Fergie to play Jones.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! it does make you wonder why he isn't in portugal training with the lads if the manager has a important part for him to play next season..
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! If Richardson and Jones break through this coming season, we may well see us giving a much better account of ourselves this season, than last. The youthful exuburrence and hunger of Richardson and Jones, in the areas which lacked those ingredients, could really transform the team...
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! On the contrary, Fergie always praises young talent/prodigies no matter who they play for. If anything, that staement is most Fergie like imo. Yep, the first one is very appealing. If Jones had a build on him I have no doubts he would be a 1st team starter for us.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! I don't think Jones will be a starter this season though. He may appear in certain games, but I can't imagine him becoming a full time first squad player. And I swear Essien-Jones partnership in a year or so in the midfield never sounded better. The Sun article gives some hope, but they obviously have no idea what they are talking about, as usual. £17mln will clearly not be enough for Essien, as Lyon already turned down £26mln. offer from Chelsea.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Hey, if this is true I'm all for it. I've been longing to see some of our youth team members come up in to the first team (besides Fletcher). I wish I could see more of Jones, I only saw highlights of him in one match, I need a fix!
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Maybe he's on a special weight training program with Rossi.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! I have made up my mind. We need a youth exodus like in 92. I think that is what is on Fergie's mind.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! This all seems very promissing... whether it came from Fergie's mouth or not, its still something we'd have to consider. Jones is a great talent and I think he will blossom into something in time. He will not play a major role with the team this year unless Scholes gets injured long term. He will most likely get the odd game here or there and the odd sub appearance as well. I think Fergie probably meant being with the first team, not necessarily being in it on a game by game basis. Just the exposure alone will help him.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Another brilliant post by Johno. I agree with this entire post. One game here and another there. He might definetly see time in the Carling cup.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Well, for those who have been able to see a lot of the preseason matches, how has David Jones been? What do you think we should do with him this season?
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Right now Jones is towing the line - he is capable of much, much more than has been shown. He has been used exclusivly as a DM this pre-season where in fact his best position is CM. He is being very..hmm..comfortable and assured in himself whilst not really standing out from the crowd. He's in a difficult position right now. As a reserve (there is no g'tee he's even a squaddie yet) he knows the best for him to do is not make any mistakes or get caught out of position or anything like that...he's not playing his full natural game. Anyone who has seen him in the reserves knows that he is the type that takes over the midfield constantly demanding and using the ball. There is an issue of deference when he is on the pitch with 1st xi'ers however. If they demand, he must give. He's in no position to ignore a call from Scholes or Giggs or whoever is established where in the reserves he would do what he thought was right in 95% of scenarios rather than play it simple. Once Jones is established enough to be a squaddie his game will change. He will start to express himself wholly without fear of being dumped back in the reserves if something extravagant doesn't come off, his caution is understandable considering his predicament. He has definitely not looked out of place with the 1st team though. His intergration to squaddie should come off the back of this pre-season. He has shown on numerous occassion how good a distributer of the ball he is and how quickly he thinks. The Peterbrough game especially was the one where he was given full licence to express his array of talents and in the half he was on he was our most effective player, deep playmaking from the halfway line. I would hope we get to see him as a CM in one of the remaining games getting forward and into more scoring opportunities - for a midfielder he really does have a canny eye for goal - the one noticeable instance when he did get the chance to shoot from a range he can crack them in from was against P'bro and he deffered to an established player David Jones captain of the reserves would have hit that flush...David Jones the wannabe squaddie was wary of making a mistake so didn't... I would have liked to have seen him play next to Keano and Scholes. Maybe that can happen when the team get back from Asia. Being the DM on the team is a restriction on this kids talent as he has to temper his natural instincts to join attacks and play intricate passes around the box. He certainly looks ready for his shot(s) this season and I hope he's given a fair crack of the whip. He's already a better player then half of our 1st team squaddies, with time he will prove that undoubtedly.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! I honestly think he's played well and agree w/ much of what DS said... he's been cautious... although we've seen the odd 30yard volleyed pass, and the nice touches and good distribution. However, I would have liked to see more from him tackling wise - he's not impressed me sufficiently there and it does not seem like he's best off playing a holding role as DS suggested... we'll wait and see, but he's certainly a better option than Phil in CM, but not by much considering what Phil and other squadies give us in terms of defense.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! my ideal midfield partnership in the future would be: fletch--ngalula--jones, that midfield is perfectly balanced - fletcher's craft, workrate, and vision on the right hand side, ngalula's tough-tackling and efficient distribution in the DM slot, and jones' skill and guile on the left. however, for this to happen, ngalula has to increase his rate of development by a bit, and both jones and fletch have bulk up. but then again, we have ritchie jones and darron gibson also, who look terrific for the U18s - what is everyone's thoughts on r.jones and gibson? i think they could also make the united first team in the near future - so many prospects - the future is well and truly bright for united...
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Omar: There is no DM slot at United.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! --------------Rossi ----------Rooney --------------------------Cron Richardson -----Fletcher-------Jones -----------Ngalula O'shea----Spector----Pique----Brown --------Howard You want 3-5-2?
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! doesnt keane play in the DM slot? like a makalele? dont we play 4-3-3? im pretty sure we do...
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! Yes, now he sort of does, and it is not particularly good. I have learned recently and realised in the past he was a "box-to-box" mid controlling the game, and as he has gotten older and slower we were 'forced' to move our midfield general to a more stationary holding mid role that he has been reduced to. Sure it sounds nice letting him do all the defense and Scholes do all the offense in midfield, but so far it has not worked out as well as before when he was controlling everything.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! United never uses a player in a Makelele type role. Keane plays CM and has responsiblilties from box to box. Age and injuries have taken their toll and limited Keane's effectiveness but still has not turned him one dimensional.
Re: The David Jones Thread - Fergie: Jones is Keano's replacement!! im thinking more along the lines of the 4-3-3 we currently play: Howard Bardsley----Spector-----Brown-----Rincon (if he progresses, if not, stick O'Shea there) Fletch----Ngalula----Jones Ronaldo---Rooney----Rossi --------------------------------------- the front three of cr7, wr8 and rossi is probably gonna be one of the most feared in europe - all three have great pace, all three are two-footed, all three have an eye for the spectacular, and all three can score and create in equal measure... these three are gonna bring the glory days back to OT, they're the only reason, along with the other youth/reserves, why im still optimistic about united's future... ---------------------------------------------- then the other potential united stars: GK: Heaton, Foster, Zieler Defence: Mcshane, Spector Wings: Souleymane Maman (is rated, by antwerp fans, as a better prospect than dong), Eagles, Richardson, Martin CM: Gibson, R.Jones and Alan Smith (he'll probably still be around) Strikers: Blake, Dong, Frazier Campbell, Brandy the talent really is big in the youth ranks, and hence why i think united are still gonna be there, winning trophies left, right, and centre, glazer or no glazer.... PS sorry if the msg is messy - i type on a mac :x