Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will assign Phil Jones a man-marking job on Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo tomorrow night. The Mirror says he came off after 56 minutes in United's win over Everton on Sunday, ostensibly with a calf injury, but it is understood his withdrawal was a precaution and Jones will be fit for tomorrow.

Jones is likely to be deployed on the right side of central midfield, doubling-up on Ronaldo with right-back Rafael, to ensure Real's star man is denied the space and time to punish United.

With Darren Fletcher ruled out for the season with his ongoing bowel condition, Jones has emerged as United's key defensive midfield man in terms of nullifying the threat of dangerous opponents such as Ronaldo.

Although Jones - who turns 21 next week - is relatively inexperienced in the Champions League, with just six starts in the competition for United, he has not looked out of his depth in Europe.