Most of us will agree Phil Jones shouldn’t be a starter at Manchester United.
There are better defenders than the England international up and down the league, and he is prone to horrific errors.
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But perhaps Jones deserves some praise after all. He gives his all and is always willing to put his face on the line.
Moreover, a stat has emerged from WhoScored that suggests Jones is a presence to be reckoned with when it comes to aerial duels, boasting a 79.3% success rate in the Premier League this season. Only Brighton’s Shane Duffy has a better success rate.
Phil Jones: Of the 220 players to contest 25 or more aerial duels, only Shane Duffy (80.4%) has a better aerial success rate than @PhilJones4 (79.3%) in the Premier League this season
For more player stats — https://t.co/aJMdwmyLC2 pic.twitter.com/QopHp4GLkA
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 8, 2019
Unfortunately for Jones, this doesn’t change our opinion of him as a player.
United still need to be aiming higher but maybe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take this stat into consideration when the Reds come up against physical centre-forwards between now and the end of the season.
Although, Jones has only made 6 appearances in the league this season.
