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Jagielka putting team first

Phil Jagielka is prepared to bide his time until he gets his chance to reclaim a first-team place after being dislodged by the pairing of John Heitinga and Sylvain Distin.

The England international lost his place at the heart of the Blues' defence when he suffered medial knee ligament damage in January and the form of the Dutch and French defenders since then has made them first choice for David Moyes in recent weeks.

Jagielka played in the three games before last Saturday's FA Cup semi-final as Moyes rotated his personnel to keep them fresh through a congested portion of the fixture calendar but was not selected at Wembley.

"If my role is to keep John and Sylvain playing as well as they can - or to give them a rest for a game - I'll do that," he told the .

"It's not ideal for me, but we are part of a team and a squad that want to do well."

Jagielka is a good bet to make England's Euro2012 squad this summer but the 29 year-old knows that regular games between now and the end of the season will only help his cause.

And, depending on the manager's assessment of Sylvain Distin's morale, he may get an opportunity on Sunday at Old Trafford. Distin was distraught after his error handed Liverpool a way back into the semi-final which Everton went on to lose and Moyes may feel more comfortable giving the 34 year-old a break in favour of Jagielka.

Quotes or other material sourced from Sky Sports

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