Defender Jones surprised by England call-up
Good start
By Chris,
September 2 2011
Manchester United defender Phil Jones will be hoping to make his England debut on Friday in the qualifying match in Bulgaria. However, the former Blackburn man has confessed that he was surprised to get the England call-up so soon after joining United.
19-year-old Jones has made an excellent start to life at Old Trafford, with his performances at centre-back clearly threatening the established defensive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
The £17million man is one of five United players named in Fabio Capello's England squad for the qualifiers against the Bulgarians and Wales.
Jones has impressed in all three of United's Premier League wins this season - and his rapid rise to fame would go a step further if Capello hands him an England debut against Bulgaria on Friday evening.
However, Jones admits his call-up has come much sooner than he expected.
“It is an opportunity I didn’t expect, but it’s a great feeling,” he said.
“There’s no fear. We all know why we are here. We are all playing well for our clubs. There is just an excitement and enthusiasm to get out there and start playing.”