I think Smalling's 2011 and 2016 seasons were better than any of Jones' seasons, so I would rather keep him. Plus Jones is more injury prone.
Smalling or Jones - who goes?
- Thread starter Paxi
- Start date
I think there will be some games that we need Fellaini in XI but doesn't mean he will be in our XI every week.
It has been 3 summers windows already, people have ruled him out from the manager's plan and have failed and people have also yet to realise that Fellaini can be effective against some certain opposition. Sir Alex didn't use Jones to man mark him for a joke.
Smalling has definitely been of higher class for us. There was a half a season where he was the best in the league before he got injured, again.
Jones just seems like the same player who joined us from Blackburn. I like the guy, but we need to ship out some deadwood. Far too injury prone.
Jones just seems like the same player who joined us from Blackburn. I like the guy, but we need to ship out some deadwood. Far too injury prone.
Talked to my mate Chelsea fans last season. He told me that Jose rarely to rotate his team especially his defense. I wonder if he's actually really going to rotate them. CL has more rest time than EL though.
With Smalling, Jones, Blind, Rojo, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Lindelof we have 7 options now for two spots. Either Jose will sell some of them or keep them for 3 at the back formation.
This is a real tough one. I think Jose prefers Jones, but Smalling is more dependable in terms of injuries. Also, he did start smalling in the final so my guess would be Jones to go.
Truth is though I don't see either sticking around for too long. Very sad as I had hoped they would be our centre back pairing for years to come.
Truth is though I don't see either sticking around for too long. Very sad as I had hoped they would be our centre back pairing for years to come.
If no one is coming through the youth set up, I'd keep both of them as squad players. 5 centre halves plus Blind, at a club like United (especially with our seemly annual defensive injury crisis) is about right.
Gotta be Jones but I can see someone coming in with a bid for Smalling rather.
That's overkill. We have Tuanzebe starting to break in to the first team. The obvious departure is Phil Jones, seeing as we essentially pay him to use our medical facilities.
it could be Christmas before Rojo is back to full match fitness....
not sure we can afford to lose either at the minute....
people are forgetting that Bailly is quite injury prone too.... seemed like he was picking up knocks in half the games he played
not sure we can afford to lose either at the minute....
people are forgetting that Bailly is quite injury prone too.... seemed like he was picking up knocks in half the games he played
He never rotated Cahill and Terry which is why he started subbing in Zouma at DM.
Please, please let the clearout of mediocrity begin asap! Smalling would be an excellent place to start. Get rid.
Smalling has to go first the guy is so bad and should be no way near a man utd team. Makes so many mistakes and his passing out from the back is a joke usually hoofs it out.
It's unfair to lump Smalling in with Jones when it comes to being injury prone.
In the last two seasons Smalling played 91 games.
Jones played 39.
In the last two seasons Smalling played 91 games.
Jones played 39.
Had a good 3 months and then got injured. How does that make him better than Smalling and Jones?
I'm still not sure who our best CB is... Bailly is chaos and our new Scandinavian chap is a complete unknown - he might be shit. At least with Jones and Smalling you know you have 7/10 quality defenders who are still young and have time to improve. I certainly would be trying to hang onto them, for the season coming at least.
If I had to choose I'd move Blind on - he's the kind of player who'd go to Spain easily, so we wouldn't strengthen a direct rival, and he doesn't really bring much to the team. A Useful player, but I'd have hoped we were aiming higher than useful.
If I had to choose I'd move Blind on - he's the kind of player who'd go to Spain easily, so we wouldn't strengthen a direct rival, and he doesn't really bring much to the team. A Useful player, but I'd have hoped we were aiming higher than useful.
Not sure. Jones is the better player, but he stays fit for less than half of each season. If the kids (TFM and Tuanzebe) go on loan we might need both Smalling and Jones for cover with the number of games we are going to have. If we had unlimited money we would simply replace them both with Van Dijk...
I don't see either leaving. Because,
PS: overseas players - as in not 'homegrown'.
- ... with 4 arrivals (let's say: Lindelöf, Fabinho, Morata, Perisic), there will be 17 'overseas players' in the squad. In a Premiership squad size of 25, 8 must be 'homegrown'. Jones and Smalling both count as homegrown.
- Last season saw United competing in 4 competitions and playing over 60 matches. You need a big squad for that.
- They are not on massive salaries (compared to some others)
- They will be needed if Mou plays 3-5-2, or there's an injury crisis (as there often seem to be in defence). Bailly will leave for 6 weeks too, in January.
- They're not actually that bad.
PS: overseas players - as in not 'homegrown'.
Jones is the better player, no doubt, but…
We immediately looked worse defensively when Rojo suffered his injury, the team certainly missed him in the run in he's easily a level above smalling and jones and should never be sold before those 2 muppets.
Jones please!
Those 3 months were better than anything Smalling and Jones did in their 7-8 years here. That's why.
Rojo barely played at the start of the season and our defence looked good. If we did look worse when he got injured it's because it happened while Smalling and Jones were injured too.
Unless they demand regular first team football I wouldn't want us to sell anyone in our defence. Rojo will be out a long time, why set us up for another injury crisis in the CB position?
It has to be Jones, I keep having this debate with people.
What attributes does Jones bring to the team that Bailly, Rojo, and now Lindelof don't? Other than a magnitude of injuries, absolutely nothing.
Smalling is the best in the air in our squad, his height and strength, aerial dominance are things that set him apart from our other CB's. I'd wager Jose wants to keep him for a similar role to Fellaini in midfield. If we need to defend set pieces against physical sides, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jose account for that and play these kinds of players.
It just makes far more sense from a squad point of view.
What attributes does Jones bring to the team that Bailly, Rojo, and now Lindelof don't? Other than a magnitude of injuries, absolutely nothing.
Smalling is the best in the air in our squad, his height and strength, aerial dominance are things that set him apart from our other CB's. I'd wager Jose wants to keep him for a similar role to Fellaini in midfield. If we need to defend set pieces against physical sides, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jose account for that and play these kinds of players.
It just makes far more sense from a squad point of view.
I don't rate Jones at all, but I want him out mostly because of his injury record. He is as reliable to play a match as Anderson was. I think that he is marginally better than Smalling, but at least Smalling is fit most of the time.
Ideally, we would sell both and get an another CB.
If one has to go, then I'd keep Smalling. Reached greater heights than Jones ever did.
We now have Lindelof, Bailly, Rojo, Tuanzabe, Mensah, Smalling, Jones, Blind.....eight players for two spots. Jones for me has to go, he hasnt stayed fit for 5 mins in years, and he hasnt progressed, probably actually regressed from the player we signed in the first place. Smalling I thought had a very good season in LVGs last one, was one of the few positives of that season....but Rafael had a good season in Fergies last and regressed and like him Im happy for Smalling to go too. I would only keep Blind for his versatility as I dont actually rate him as a centre back but still we would have two relatively experienced backs ups in Blind and Rojo and two very promising youngsters behind them in Tuanzabe and Mensah. Not even an "or" for me, happy for two centre backs to leave and it would be JOnes/Smalling as the casualties
Keep Jones, get rid of Smalling.
1. De Gea, Romero, Valencia, Darmian, Lindelof, Bailly, Rojo, Blind, Fellaini, Fabinho, Herrera, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Perisic, Martial, Moratta. I count here only 16 non homegrown players. In addition, you don't actually need 25 senior players, not at all. Jose has said multiple times that he wants around 20-23 players, which means that you need just 3-6 homegrown players. And at the moment, we have Pereira, Shaw, Jones, Smalling, Young, Carrick, Pogba, Pereira, Januzaj, Lingard and Rooney. This leaves 27 senior players, with Januzaj most likely being the one to leave. Someone else needs to leave (let's say Rooney), if we want to sign some other player (be it homegrown or not) because of quotas, one of Smalling and Jones seems the best choice.
Rashford, TMF, Tuanzabe still count as junior players.
2. We will play less matches this season (providing we pass the group stage in UCL) and you don't need a very big squad to play all these matches. You need players who can stay fit most of the time, not get two players and hope that one of them is fit for each match. You need players like Blind, Mata, Herrera, Pogba and so on who are almost always fit and even when they have big injuries they return fast.
3. They are circa 100k/week which is not peanuts. Where is the point on giving Jones that salary if he can play 20 matches per year? Based on the matches he plays, he is getting played around as much as Pogba. That is stupid.
4. A big if that. A 3-5-2 will make those players play more matches, which means that Jones will get injured even faster, and so then we won't be able to play 3-5-2. Again, where is the logic on that?
5. Agree to disagree.
Smalling has to go. 5 goals conceded last year as a direct result of his indecisiveness, poor positioning or poor reading of the game. That's 4 too many at the level United want to be. If we want to stay on the fringes of a top 6 he is an ideal player."He'd do well at a club just above the relegation zone"
People don't half put down some of our very good players.
I'd get rid of neither. They're both good defenders. Rojo is also injured for a length of time. Our defence is already great and today it's got even better, yet I log into to here to read yet more bullshit. It's impressive, it really is.
How does that compare with other players?
I don't see either going until January. Rojo is out and I don't think Mourinho trusts Blind, Tuanzebe and TFM there.
Yet he was selected over Jones in the EL final. I prefer Jones personally.
18 non-homegrown over the age of 21 actually (I'm now including Varela, who is 24). With 4 additions it is: de Gea, Romero, Valencia, Varela, Darmian, Blind, Bailly, Lindelöf, Rojo, Herrera, Fabinho, Mkhitaryan, Fellaini, Pogba, Morata, Martial, Mata, Perisic.
Jones is on £50k/week, Smalling: £80k/week.
Where is the point on including Varela, there is no way that he is going to be here next season.
Pogba is homegrown.
Nevere realized that Jones is on his original contract, didn't he sign a new one some time ago? If that is the case, he is a free agent now?
Both are of the same level really. Although Smalling has shown a higher peak level, especially in the first half of 2016. Too many "buts" and "ifs" with these 2. Get rid of either or both, keep one or both, I don't really care.
Smalling would suit Burnley 'head' 'hoof'.
He's going to be our third or fourth choice option at centre half. He's an absolutely brilliant option to have. Some you lot, honestly.
Both, but if I have to choose, Jones of course. Snalling is at least available here and there and had his moments, I don't rate him high, but I can live with him as squad player. Jones is just a waste of space and wages, there is just no point in watching him sitting on the injury table all season and hope that he finally has his breakthrough. And even when he is fit he really isn't that good.