New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps has praised Jermaine Jones' versatility.

The 33-year old former Schalke and Besiktas defensive midfielder has slotted in well for the Revs in central defence this season and his ability to perform different roles is something that is certainly not lost on Heaps.

"I think he's really good," Heaps said of the USA international.

"When you sign a player like a Jermaine, I think that he doesn't get credit for it, but his versatility, his ability to play anywhere, I think that's really important as a coach."

Heaps added: "We've missed Jose (Goncalves); he's been out and we've been able to transition quickly into that.

"Where we have some depth is in the middle, so Jermaine slides back to center back. To me he's one of the better passing center backs in the league.

"He's also a great midfielder. So it's great to have those types of options and be able to gameplan based upon where we think we're going to need him most."