Jones eyeing Smalling partnership

Phil Jones believes he can form a solid partnership with Chris Smalling at the back for Manchester United if called upon.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson must decide who out of Jonny Evans, Jones and Smalling to play at centre-half over the coming weeks after first-choice pairing Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand sustained injuries in Sunday's 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion. 

Jones, who came off the bench to make his Barclays Premier League debut for the Red Devils in the match, has already linked up with Smalling in England Under-21 matches and feels their success at that level will set them in good stead should they be required to deputise for Vidic and Ferdinand.

BRILLIANT DEFENDERS

Asked how beneficial it is to have played alongside Smalling for England, Jones told the club's official website: "That will only help. We've done really well together with England and kept quite a few clean sheets.

"We communicate well and read each other's game, which is a good thing to have in a partnership at the back."

It would appear to be another promising omen for United that Jones has closely studied the way Vidic and Ferdinand play.

"They are brilliant defenders," Jones said. "I've always watched those two play together and tried to model my game on them and copy things they do."

Ferguson signed Jones from Blackburn Rovers this summer in a deal worth a reported £16.5m.

If the 19-year-old features in Monday's home match with Tottenham Hotspur it will be his first competitive appearance for United at Old Trafford - less than a year after he was part of a Rovers team thrashed 7-1 there last season.

He said: "I only played there once - in that 7-1 hammering. I was looking forward to it beforehand, and making sure I was fit.

"It's a fantastic stadium with a great atmosphere and I was playing against some fantastic players. It's even better now I'm playing with them."