STEVE Kean believes Phil Jones has all the makings of a future Blackburn Rovers skipper after the teenager signed a bumper new deal for the club yesterday.

The 18-year-old sensation was already tied to the club for the long term, having signed a five-year deal in the summer, but has now committed himself until the summer of 2016 as Rovers warn potential suitors off.

The one-year contract extension will hand Jones a financial reward for establishing himself as one of the country’s hottest young prospects and will also give Rovers extra security over the teenager’s future.

Jones has already been the subject of a failed £8million summer bid from Arsenal and, with Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti likening him to his skipper John Terry, some of England’s top clubs are known to be tracking his progress with interest.

Boss Kean hopes Jones’ extra show of loyalty will convince any suitors the player himself sees his long term future at Ewood Park as he looks to build his Rovers revolution around him.

Kean said: “He already had a five year contract and to make that longer and give him a financial uplift we can show him you don’t need to go anywhere else.

“Stay here and play your football and this is going to be the place where you can stay and quite possibly be the captain of the club in years to come.

“He can be a leader together with the other captains we have already got. Phil is certainly a future captain.

“He is going to attract interest from the top clubs.

"He is not only a centre half, he can play in midfield as well.

"It is massively important that we have convinced him to ward off any of the bigger hitters by getting him on an improved deal.”

Having come through the youth ranks at Rovers, Jones made a man of the match Premier League debut against Chelsea in March 2010 before going on to make a further eight appearances last season.

He made his England under 21 debut in the summer and then impressed in a new midfield role early this season, before suffering a knee injury in the draw with West Ham in mid December.

Early fears were that Jones could miss the rest of the campaign but, after undergoing surgery to repair torn cartilage to his right knee, he could now be back for Rovers’ next home game - the visit of Blackpool on March 19.

“Phil is back out on the pitch working with Dave Fevre so he’s making good progress,” said Kean.

“He’s coming on quicker than we thought, so hopefully in three or four weeks he’ll be available for selection.

“That is a great boost. He’s a young man and he’s healing quickly.

"Getting him back in the fold is something we are really looking forward to.”