After captaining the U18s to Youth Cup glory in 2002/03 and the Reserves to their 2004/05 Quadruple, David Jones found himself at a crossroads in his United career at the start of the 2005/06 season.
Another season in the Reserves promised nothing more than stagnation and the suffocation of an obvious talent, while the step up to Sir Alex Ferguson's first team may have been too soon.
As such, David was farmed out on loan to Preston. There, three fine goals and a series of excellent performances were the dividend for the Southport midfielder, who benefited hugely from the physical challenge of
life in the Championship.
Suitably toughened up, David embarked on a second loan in January 2006, moving on a five-month deal to Holland's NEC Nijmegen.
Four goals in his first 135 minutes of football in De Eridivisie quickly endeared Jones to the Dutch fans, and he became an integral part of the team on the left side of a three-man midfield.
Jones' split education certainly seemed to have the desired effect on the player, who could be set for more first-team action in 2006/07.
