Backing: England team bus sports a poppy

He accepts that Spain's high-tempo, possession style can prove frustrating for their opponents. 'We've been looking at that in training and we've talked about different scenarios that can happen in a game,' he said. 'But there has been a lot of talk about Spain and not much about England and if we concentrate on what we're good at and what we can do, then hopefully we can come out on Saturday with a good mentality and prove that we can compete against the best.

'We've got to adapt our game against Spain, and then probably a different way to play against Sweden on Tuesday. But that's what football is about, adapting to different situations.'

Jones regards his Blackburn debut, 'a TV game against Chelsea', as his personal springboard. He marked Didier Drogba that day, helping his side secure a draw and prompting the then Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, to declare him a future England centre half. 'It spurred me on,' he said.

Now he wants it all: Euro 2012, the Olympics, success with United. He says he is continuing to learn from players like John Terry and Rio Ferdinand and, while he shows a degree of deference towards them, there is clearly an ambition to displace them too. 'I'm prepared to work at it to get to that level,' he said.

But boy, is he young. Does he remember Euro 96?

'No.'

Shearer scoring goals for his beloved Blackburn?

'No.'

'I remember Matt Jansen and Jason Wilcox though, when my dad was taking me on the terraces at Ewood Park.'

Even Euro 2000, he said, is a bit early. You really have to fast- forward another two years, when he was 10 and Bolton were informing him that he did not meet their high standards.

« Previous123Next »