Neil Warnock has claimed that Middlesbrough's Isaiah Jones is a better option for a team than Tottenham-bound Djed Spence.
The 21-year old full back is set to secure a move to Tottenham Hotspur from Middlesbrough.
But the defender was out on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, which is where he has made a name for himself.
It was Warnock who decided to offload the player last summer before he was eventually replaced by Chris Wilder in November.
Speaking on Sportbible, the 73-year old claimed that he backed Jones to be the team’s starting right wing back last season as he believed the defender is the best in his position in the Championship.
“In the best interest of the club, he had to go out on loan,” said Warnock, via HITC.
“I felt if he went out on loan and did well, they’d get money for him. Whereas Isaiah Jones, I don’t think there’s a better right wing-back in the league, he’s the best one there is.”
But with Spence now set to move to Tottenham, these comments are particularly interesting given the previously reported interest that Arsenal have in signing Jones.
Jones is currently the first choice wing back for Wilder as the team prepares for the new season.
The full back played 42 times in the league last campaign and will be hoping he can play a key role in the team’s efforts to better their 7th place finish in 2021-22.
Their opening game of the season comes against West Brom on July 30.
The Verdict
Spence showed his quality for Nottingham Forest last season and has rightly earned the move to a Premier League side.
These comments from Warnock feel like he is doubling down on a decision he made 12 months ago to prove that loaning out Spence was the right decision.
It has ultimately netted Boro a sizable transfer sum while allowing Jones to develop his game further.
But if he had backed Spence and tried to get the best out of him at the time, then who knows what impact that could’ve had on the team’s season.
Ultimately, Wilder showed the greater potential this side has when he replaced Warnock mid-season and it’s interesting to wonder what the 54-year old decides over Spence’s future if he is in charge last summer.