Fans' favourite Jones urged to extend stay

5:03am Tuesday 6th May 2008

NYRON Nosworthy expects Kenwyne Jones to become one of Sunderland's "all-time greats" provided the club can hold on to one of the hottest prospects in English football.

Jones has arguably been Sunderland's most impressive player this season, scoring seven Premier League goals and leading the line with aplomb following a £6m move from Southampton.

His performances have not gone unnoticed, with Liverpool and Chelsea already having been linked with a possible summer swoop for the Trinidad & Tobago international.

While Black Cats boss Roy Keane is expected to oversee a radical overhaul once the transfer window opens later this month, Jones is one of the few players he will fight tooth and nail to keep at the Stadium of Light.

And provided Keane is successful, Nosworthy expects the 23-year-old striker to become a Wearside legend in the not-too-distant future.

"He could become one of the Sunderland greats," said Nosworthy, who has established himself as a firm fans' favourite in his three seasons in the North-East. "I definitely think he has the potential to do that.

"He is still only 23 and this was his first proper season of Premier League football. He's young and he knows he can still improve, but every defender I've spoken to this season has said he is a handful.

"For me, he has been Sunderland's player of the year. Phil Bardsley and Jonny Evans have been fantastic since they came to the club in January, but Kenwyne has done so well in his first season."

Jones was something of an unknown quantity outside Championship circles when Keane, who is expected to make a renewed attempt to sign Manchester United full-back Danny Simpson on a permanent basis this summer, persuaded him to leave Southampton's St Mary's Stadium last August.

His 80 appearances in a Saints shirt brought 22 goals, but while other top-flight managers were reluctant to invest in a player untried at the highest level, Keane was convinced Jones' physical attributes would enable him to flourish in the top-flight.

His faith has been justified in the last nine months, with Chelsea skipper John Terry claiming Jones was his toughest opponent all season and more than one Premier League manager comparing the striker to Chelsea front man Didier Drogba.

Nosworthy does not feel such comparisons are over the top, and feels Jones will be a complete striker once he improves a goal-to-games ratio that currently remains incommensurate with his talents.

"I know how hard he is to play against because I played against him when I was at Gillingham and he was on loan at Stoke, and he's a better player now than he was then," said the defender.

"I knew he was a good player before he came and we saw little glimpses of what he could do in pre-season training, but it is only in game situations that you can judge someone properly and he has been vital for us. He's a wonderful prospect and hopefully he'll be at Sunderland for years to come.

"I can only see him getting better and better. People forget that he hadn't played at this level before, but he has caused problems against every defence he has faced.

"He's a strong boy and he puts himself about for the team. He is a great team player, but he also knows that being a striker is all about goals. I'm sure he'd like to have scored a few more goals, and I expect he will do next season."

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