When Phil Jones and Chris Smalling joined Manchester United, they were dubbed as the long-term successors to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. However, this has not yet materialised, and with Louis Van Gaal reportedly looking for a marquee centre back signing this summer, should the Dutchman stick with Jones and Smalling?

There have been a lot of obstacles to the development of both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones during their respective years at Old Trafford; a lack of game time, being shuffled from position to position and of course the seemingly never-ending line of injuries.

Playing understudy to Ferdinand and Vidic, envisaged as being a brilliant way of learning from the very best, never panned out as planned – having an injury ravaged first choice backline meant that Jones and Smalling were often played out of position or were constantly in and out of the team.

They were unable to obtain any meaningful experience through playing first team football, and when they became United’s senior centre backs last summer there was widespread concern over whether they could handle the step up.

Coming of age for Chris Smalling

Last season, however, was a defining one for both men. Chris Smalling in particular seemed to ‘come of age’ with a string of spectacular performances after his rash red card in the Manchester Derby.

The game against Tottenham in March was, incredibly, the first time they had played together all season and only the fourth time ever, but the very good performance from the pairing laid the foundations for a solid partnership to ensue.

Jones suffered yet another injury a month later which prevented the partnership from flourishing too much further, but the evidence we gained from their partnership in the spring is good news for upcoming season. 

It was the sort of partnership that had always been promised by Sir Alex Ferguson when he brought the two centre halves to the club, and one that should have been proven before.

Difference of play

Jones and Smalling, for all their shortcomings in terms of injuries, do have very complimentary playing styles: Smalling is a very aggressive defender, often winning aerial battles and being the first to pressure or tackle an attacker.

Jones is more of a sweeper, using his excellent reading of the game to good effect – the former Blackburn man had the fourth most interceptions per game in the premier league last season. 

These two contrasting but well suited styles lend themselves to the formation of a solid partnership. And although both have defined defensive styles, they are more than capable of carrying out all aspects of defending extremely well; according to Squawka, both have a higher overall defensive score than the likes of Gary Cahill, Per Mertesacker and Vincent Kompany, whilst both have the highest number of interceptions per minute out of the same group. Both Jones and Smalling were rewarded with new contracts as a result of their late-season performances.

Statistics can never tell a whole story, especially when it comes to defending, but these numbers begin to show a bright outlook on the prospect of a Jones-Smalling partnership next season.

However, with the ongoing transfer saga with Sergio Ramos and United’s reported interest in Valencia’s Nicolas Otamendi, the likelihood of a first choice pairing of Jones and Smalling is decreasing by the day. Assuming that one of those targets joins, it is tough to see Louis Van Gaal not using such a high profile signing.

Nevertheless, the recent performances of Jones and Smalling will certainly give the United manager food for thought about next season’s first choice centre back partnership, even with a potentially huge signing in the squad.

If Jones and Smalling can keep their injuries under control – which Smalling did seem to do at the end of last season – then they could provide serious competition and even force their way in to the starting XI.

The expected signing of a centre back this summer could prove a big problem for a potential Jones-Smalling partnership next season, but their complimentary styles and undoubtedly significant improvements last season mean that Louis Van Gaal would not be ill advised to use the two Englishmen as United’s first choice centre backs next season. 

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Jack Tait
Hi, my name is Jack, and I will be bringing you the latest on all things Manchester United. Feel free to comment and give me your feedback, I hope you enjoy the articles!