Jones Injury Could Not Have Come at Worse Time for Himself, United

Few Premier League players so starkly divide opinion as Phil Jones.

And for good reason.

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It often seems that for every strikingly competent performance (last November's 1-0 win over Arsenal, in which he rarely misplaced a pass and made a pair of key interceptions, springs to mind), the Manchester United defender is equally capable of gifting the opposition a meaningful goalscoring opportunity, such as the one he presented Switzerland's Haris Seferovic on Monday.

Even so, the 22-year-old's role at Old Trafford has only become more prominent following the summer departures of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, and it must be said that while United have struggled in their first three matches of the 2014-15 season, Jones has been remarkably effective.

Last month against Burnley, for example, he was off the mark with only three of his passes (statistics courtesy Squawka), made important tackles on Danny Ings and Scott Arfield and, perhaps most notably, contributed an eye-popping six interceptions.

If intercepting the ball can be at least somewhat construed as the characteristic of an intelligent footballer, Jones is unparalleled in the English top flight so far this campaign.

Which is why United will sweating over his fitness when he returns to Old Trafford ahead of Sunday's match against Queens Park Rangers.

After appearing to pull up with a hamstring injury as England pressed for a second goal in Basel on Monday, Jones eventually crumpled to ground in discomfort and was replaced by Phil Jagielka with 13 minutes remaining.

According to Sky, he'll shortly be assessed by United's medical staff.

It goes without saying that another injury (he's sustained a series of knee and ankle problems the past two years) would be devastating to Jones' development, particularly as he finally looks poised to become a truly significant player with his club.

But United, too, stand to suffer from his absence. For all the money spent on revamping their attack, they did little to bolster the defense during a record-breaking summer in the transfer market—a lack of activity that only underlined Jones' importance.

In the short term, this means that Marcos Rojo—who has yet to make his United debut—will almost certainly be ushered into the center of defense to fill the hole left by Jones, leaving Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett to compete for the remaining spot alongside Jonny Evans.

It's hardly an ideal set of circumstances, although Luke Shaw's return to fitness and the possibility of playing Daley Blind as a center-back will help ease the pressure, at least somewhat.

No scenario, however, would be as welcome to United as the news that Jones' injury isn't as bad as it looked.

This, after all, is a defender that former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once tipped to be "one of the best players" in club history.

"

Big season for Phil Jones, this. Needs to cut that stuff out immediately or Van Gaal will buy to replace him and that could be that.

— David Lynch (@DavidLynchMEN) September 8, 2014"

"He has a fantastic influence, no matter where he plays," marvelled Ferguson in the weeks before he announced his retirement, per the Daily Mail. "He has an instinct for the game and a drive about him."

High praise and just for a moment this summer it looked as though Jones was about to live up to the hype.

Now a hamstring injury stands to threaten all that. And with the transfer window closed, Jones is an asset that money quite literally can't replace.