Phil Jones is ready to emerge at Manchester United as their prime centre-half.
After three years of waiting for his chance to play regularly in his natural position as a centre half following his £16m move from Blackburn, Jones is determined to show he can be United's new defensive rock.
"Of course, proving I'm good enough to replace Rio and Nemanja is ultimately what I want to be doing," he said.
"You've got to thrive on the challenge rather than be daunted by it. We've lost two great defenders in Rio and Nemanja but that's football and we move on. We've got good players to replace them and hopefully we can all step up and improve that. If we all stay fit we've got a great chance. That's what we aim to do."
He added: "It's encouraging for everyone that the new manager has said he will take a look at everyone before making any decisions.
"Everyone is trying to impress and it's only right that we give everything we've got and prove to the manager that we're worthy of starting the first game of the season.
"Everyone is trying to impress and hopefully we can start the season off well."
