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Sky Sports Scout - Phil Jones

Sky Sports Scout is where we scour the globe looking for the best talent, next up is Phil Jones.

We run the rule over Blackburn Rovers starlet Phil Jones

Sky Sports Scout is our exciting feature where we scour the globe looking out for the best talent and bring you a report on what we find. Our Scout will report back and you can comment on what you think of our appraisal. Also, in association with Football Manager, we give all readers the chance to win a copy of the latest game by nominating a player. You can only nominate a player by emailing here, including the word 'Scout' in your subject line and please check to make sure we haven't already covered the player! Should your player get reviewed by our scout, and you were first to send in his name, then you will win a copy of Football Manager 2010. Latest under our scout's gaze is Blackburn youngster Phil Jones - recommended by Sky Sports reader Alan Christian.

The scout reports...

Blackburn starlet Phil Jones is quickly emerging as one of the most promising defenders in England, and the Sky Sports Scout runs his eye over the central defender. Still only 18, Jones is challenging to be at the heart of the Blackburn defence this coming season and he is sure to play a substantial role under Sam Allardyce. Allardyce first spotted Jones' potential at the start of last season and awarded him a squad number despite the fact he had no senior experience. He made his debut for the first team in September last year when he produced a man-of-the-match display in the Carling Cup clash against Nottingham Forest. He continued to gain experience in the cup matches, also featuring the FA Cup against Aston Villa. But it was not until March that Jones' season, and his career, took off as because of injuries he was handed a start against Chelsea and a match-up with Didier Drogba where, despite being just short of 6ft, the youngster dominated against the Ivory Coast star. From the Chelsea game onwards, Jones kept his place and continued to impress and improve with every match, and his all-action displays made him a firm fans' favourite. Preston-born Jones is an archetypal English central defender, tough in the tackle and very hard to dominate. But the 18-year-old is also blessed with an excellent footballing brain. Because of the fact he is not the tallest, he has to use his excellent positional sense to win an aerial battle, something he has great aptitude for, which is wonderful to see in a player of his tender years. His tackling, as said, is already a dominant part of his game, whilst his passing and general distribution will only improve with age. Jones' performances have already attracted praise from Arsene Wenger, while Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are all thought to have an interest. And that has seen Rovers hand their prized youngster a new five-year deal, despite the fact he had two years left on his current contract.

The scout says...

Will get the chance to improve and impress under Allardyce and he probably could not be in a better place than Blackburn at this moment in time, playing with the likes of Ryan Nelsen and Chris Samba. However, if his progress continues over the coming season it will surely be a matter of when rather than if one of the Premier League's big guns comes calling.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 5 out of 10 Passing: 7 out of 10 Tackling: 9 out of 10 Heading: 8 out of 10 Pace: 7 out of 10 Vision: 6 out of 10 Current ability: 7 out of 10 Potential ability: 10 out of 10 OVERALL SCOUT RATING: 59/80 Current value: £5million Potential value: £15million
Your opinion...
You have read our opinion of Jones - now we want your views. Have you seen Jones in action? Do you agree with our assessment? Do you think he will make it? And if you have spotted anyone you think we should feature then please get in touch using the same form. We will look to send out the Scout to follow up some of your leads.