A PROFESSIONAL footballer from Gresford has followed in the footsteps of David Beckham, writes Cameron Fleming.
Dave Jones, 20, has been loaned to Preston North End for a year from Premiership giants Manchester United.
The path from Old Trafford to Deepdale was trodden by Beckham at the start of his United career, when the future captain of England caught the eye with some impressive performances.
The parallels between Jones and Beck-ham extend to set pieces too, with the England Under-21 player showing similar poise to the Real Madrid star when he curled in a cracking free-kick to grab victory for Preston at Millwall last month.
The dynamic central midfielder has made a big impression on the Lilywhites fans already, scoring two goals and turning in some sparkling performances.
The temporary move was arranged after Sir Alex Ferguson felt his latest 'fledgling' needed more first-team experience.
Jones, a former student at Darland High School in Rossett, said: 'I had a meeting with the manager in the summer and we agreed that what I didn't need was more reserve matches. So it was decided that I should go out on loan.
'He hopes it will make me a more rounded player and the impression I got was that if I did well, there would still be a future for me at Old Trafford. The boss has always said that if we're good enough he'll put us into the first team squad. I certainly think I've still got opportunities there.'
Jones moved to Gresford when just a toddler and has been on the books at Old Trafford since the age of 10.
He won an FA Youth Cup winners medal in 2003 and in the last campaign captained the reserve team and made his first senior appearance in the FA Cup against Exeter City.
The cut and thrust of the Championship has presented no problems for a player who describes his game as a blend of Beckham's passing, Roy Keane's drive and Paul Scholes's guile.
Jones said: 'I'm very happy at Preston. I've got a few games under my belt now and feel like I'm putting in some good, dominating performances.
'The fans have taken to me too, which is great.
'Like Beckham, I'm always practising my free-kicks so that if we get any in matches there's a good chance of it coming off.
'My game has definitely improved since I've been here and I want to put in some real eye-catching performances to show everyone what I'm capable of.
'Hopefully by doing that I can help Preston into the play-offs too.
'We're definitely good enough. The staff and players are brilliant and I couldn't have picked a better team to come to.'
As for the prospect of becoming a future full international, that is where his career may begin to deviate from Beck-ham's - with Wales urging him to pledge his loyalty to them, rather than England, by virtue of his Welsh father.
Jones was tight lipped about which way he would jump, though, saying: 'I'm really not thinking about it. What country I might or might not choose is just a distraction.
'All I want to do at the moment is concentrate on Preston and establish myself there.'
