But the 30-year-old Chelsea centre-back is determined not to give up his position lightly as he looks to make up for the agony of England not qualifying for Euro 2008 by leading them to next summer's finals.

Jones is in contention to play in tomorrow evening's qualifier in Bulgaria after an impressive start to his first season at Old Trafford.

The absence of vice-captain Rio Ferdinand has created a potential opening on this occasion for Jones.

But Terry knows he faces a fight for his own place if the former Blackburn player continues to develop while other youngsters like Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverley are also pushing hard.

He said: "I'm really impressed by Phil. He made his debut against Chelsea, playing very well against Didier Drogba, and got man of the match.

"He literally has all the attributes that he'll need to become a very good England player.

"Being at a club like United has helped him in a very short space of time.

"He's got the likes of Rio (Ferdinand) and (Nemanja) Vidic to learn from there. What I've seen of him, he's come on leaps and bounds even from where he was last year as well."

Terry added: "The improvements and the eagerness to improve are key. He's the one who really sticks out in our position. He's one I'm looking over my shoulder at.

"He clearly wants a place in the England side - whether that's mine or someone else's. He's hungry for that.

"But you've got the likes of Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Tom Cleverley, Chris Smalling as well - the whole bunch of them. They've really got some great ability.

"We feel that pressure of them pushing us and fighting for places. In the long term, that's great for the whole squad."

Not that Terry intends to relinquish his second term as England skipper without a fight.

He said: "I'm still only 31 in December. I'm fortunate enough to have the shirt at the moment and it's down to me to keep it, regardless of how the other guys are playing.

"Some might not make it through to the World Cup. Probably not. Even myself, who knows? But I'm certainly not going to give it up lightly.

"We've seen the older players, or the 'more experienced players' as I prefer to refer to them as, really keen to go on and do well in the tournament.

"Whether this is their last tournament, or the next one is, they're certainly not going to give it up easily. They're going to continue right to the end."

Terry still questions whether he should have gambled on playing in the crucial Euro 2008 qualifying defeat by Croatia at Wembley when recovering from a knee problem.

He said: "It's something I will always look back on. I was on the verge of being fit and couldn't risk it.

"I've always questioned whether I should have had an injection and played. Those things play on your mind.

"I'd literally started training a few days before the game, and I'd spoken to Steve McClaren and wasn't right.

"It's something that plays on my mind to this day. I wish I'd given it a go, but that might have been a bit selfish on my part."

Terry is looking for improvement by England against the Bulgarians after being held to a 2-2 draw by Switzerland at Wembley in June.

He said: "We need to get back to winning ways. The way we started in the Swiss game wasn't good enough and we conceded two sloppy goals really.

"This is the right chance to get back on the right track and keep qualification in our own hands."