A former Manchester United youngster who counts Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney as former teammates has named Larne defender Albert Watson as the “best captain” he played under.
Ritchie Jones, who made five appearances for United under Sir Alex Ferguson in the mid-2000s, played alongside Watson during their time together at FC Edmonton.
And the former Old Trafford prospect has named the veteran Irish League centre back as the most influential skipper he played with across his 11-year career.
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On Twitter, Jones, who also represented England at underage level, wrote: “Best captain I’ve ever played for @albertw5 one true warrior.
“He’d put his life on the line to win a game and a great human being on and off the pitch.”
That prompted Watson, who played for Edmonton between 2013 and 2018, to reply: “Really appreciate that coming from a player like yourself mate!
“Never seen a more professional player like you in my life! Box-to-box all day long.”
Jones, now 35 and retired, played five times for United in the mid-2000s, including an FA Cup outing in a scoreless draw with Burton Albion in January 2006.
He also made four appearances in the League Cup, including a 3-1 win over Birmingham City in the quarter-finals of the competition in December 2005.
His teammates that day included Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Ji-Sung Park, Darren Fletcher, Mikael Silvestre and Louis Saha.
In a far-travelled career, Jones also played for the likes of Oldham Athletic, Bradford City, Barnsley, Grimsby Town, Yeovil Town, Colchester, Hartlepool and Royal Antwerp.
He joined FC Edmonton, who were playing in the North American Soccer League, from Grimsby in 2014 before leaving the Canadian club two years later.
Watson, who starred for Linfield and Ballymena United in the Irish League before leaving for Canada nine years ago, has spent the past three years with Larne in the Irish League.
The 36-year-old spent a year with KR Reykjavik in Iceland after leaving Edmonton in 2018 before returning to Northern Ireland in 2019.
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