Stoke City have confirmed their interest in acquiring the services of out-of-favour Manchester United defender Phil Jones.
In an interview with the Stoke Sentinel, Stoke assistant manager Mark Bowen has admitted his club is trying to bring Jones to the bet365 Stadium this month.
“I remember Sam Allardyce talking about him when he broke through and said he was the new Duncan Edwards.
“He did well as a youngster, got the big move, but it hasn’t worked out for him there. I don’t know how close we are or how far down the line it’s gone.
“He’s played the majority of his career at centre-half, but in his younger days he went into midfield as well.
“I don’t know what’s gone wrong, but he’s gone from even a player Fergie [Alex Ferguson] was talking about as being someone who could have been one of the greats.
“But we have a bit of reputation for bringing players like that into this set-up and then thriving. Fingers crossed, something may happen.”
Jones, who moved to United in 2011, sustained an ankle injury in January, which effectively ended his 2015/16 campaign.
He’s recovered from his injury and is available for selection, but is well down the pecking order at United behind Blind, Bailly, Smalling and Rojo.
It doesn’t seem like he’s an essential part of Jose Mourinho’s plans this season, so a move to another Premier League side would be beneficial for him.
He needs regular first-team football in order to kick-start his career and a move to Stoke would be a smart decision as he’d get enough chances to impress the manager.
Hughes could do with another centre-back following the sale of experienced defender Marc Wilson to Bournemouth last week.
Jones’ ability to play in multiple positions would also be useful for the Potters.
