Blackburn Rovers Football Club News

• Nickname:Rovers
• Founded:1875
• Manager:Steve Kean

• Ground:Ewood Park
• Capacity:31,367

Allardyce to take care of Jones

06 Aug 2010 - 08:25:54

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Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has vowed to take care of teenage defender Phil Jones, who is already being tipped for a major future in the game.

The 18-year-old has already won a place in England's Under-21s squad, but Allardyce is wary of pushing Jones too far too fast.

He commented: "Phil is 18 and you have to take into account the delicate state of his body. He has not matured into an adult yet.

"When you are playing in the top league in the world it can be a huge risk if he is overplayed.

"The perfect example is Michael Owen. Liverpool overplayed him at 18. All of a sudden he is riddled with hamstring injuries and despite only being 30 he is now struggling to recapture the form from when he was 21.

"We have to guard against that.

"I will manage the situation the best way I possibly can, which really would be for the rest of the team to play at their best so I can give Phil a little rest here and there.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on him because he might take a dip from last season.

"If he does that we will take him to one side until he is ready to come back in. We will not destroy his confidence."