Manchester United and England centre-back Phil Jones has named his five favourite Red Devils stars.
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The defender moved to Old Trafford in 2011 when he was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson; he featured under the legendary manager for two campaigns before subsequently featuring under both David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
To date, Jones as managed 94 league appearances for Manchester United and has accrued 15 England caps since making his debut in 2011.
Since moving from Blackburn Rovers, he has played with some Red Devils greats, although it’s telling, perhaps, that only one of the players he chooses in his top five [via the official club website] is currently at the club in an active playing capacity.
Paul Scholes
Jones began by naming Paul Scholes, the former England playmaker who returned to the club in 2012 following his 2011 retirement.
The midfielder helped United to the league title in 2013, Ferguson’s final campaign before retirement.
“Why would I pick Scholesy?” Jones began, speaking to ManUtd.com
“He was just a tactical genius and one of the best players.”
Ryan Giggs
He continued his run-down by picking the Welsh wing wizard Ryan Giggs, who currently as United as van Gaal’s assistant coach.
The 41-year-old retired from playing at the end of last season having taken over as interim player-manager following Moyes’s sacking.
“What can you say about Giggsy?” Jones continued.
“He’s class in everything he does. He was just class as a player, not just in what he did on the pitch but also off the pitch.”
Rio Ferdinand
The centre-back, who announced his retirement from the game on Saturday, was one of the classiest defenders around during his prime.
Ferdinand managed over 300 league appearances for United over 12 years, winning the Champions League and six Premier League titles.
“Rio was a good passer of the ball,” Jones went on, “he read the game well and was a top defender.”
Nemanja Vidic
Jones’s fourth pick was Nemanja Vidic, the Serbian stopper who—along with Ferdinand—forged one of the greatest centre-back pairings in the history over the English game.
The defender—who currently features for Inter Milan—arrived at Old Trafford in 2006 from Spartak Moscow and was a key figure until his departure in 2014.
“Vida would head and kick everything that came his way,” said Jones, of a player with whom he played on many occasions.
“He was great with Rio. They just complemented each other really well and I looked up to both.”
Wayne Rooney
Finally, Jones rounded-off his top five Manchester United heroes by picking the current club captain Wayne Rooney.
The former Everton man may not have had an easy relationship with the club, but he is fast closing in on the scoring records of another United legend—Sir Bobby Charlton—for both the Red Devils and the England national team.
“The goals that Wazza has scored for this club have taken him to a new level,” concluded Jones, explaining his final pick.