Manchester United Under-18s coach Adam Lawrence has spoken about the influence of Phil Jones on the club's youngsters.

Lawrence took charge of United's Under-18s in the summer and has made excellent progress with the group already.

As United look to bring their Academy up to the standard of neighbors Manchester City, Jones has been seen watching U18 games as he studies for his coaching badges.

"It's been great with Phil, he is with us weekly. He spends time with the under-14s and under-18s as well so he gets to experience like the different age groups of the academy," Lawrence said to the Manchester Evening News.

"But for us, he's been great. He's obviously from the club in terms of his background and what he's done here and I think as well for the players, to not just learn from him in terms of the areas of his game and his knowledge, but also some of the off the field stuff and what they're going through - whether it be team selection, how you prepare for games, diet, nutrition.

"Myself and Colin have really appreciated him being involved in the program and he's added some real value from in a different way. Hopefully, we've given him the opportunity to start coaching on the field with players. I know he's been of massive value and he'll continue to do that as well."