Former Leeds United head coach Neil Redfearn has compared Joey Barton to Whites legend Vinnie Jones and explained why he wanted the midfielder at Elland Road.

Barton has just terminated his contract at Scottish giants Rangers and has been linked with Leeds, although talk the Whites want the 34-year-old has been played down.




Redfearn, who bossed Leeds in the 2014/15 season, did want Barton though and asked the club to look at bringing him in. The former Whites head coach explained he felt Barton was ideal for what he needed at the time and compared the tigerish midfielder with Jones, whose all-action displays made him a hero at Elland Road.

"When that list [of players] came out…they all ended up at Championship clubs", he said on Radio Yorkshire.
 


"If you're going to compete at the top end then you need good players and good players make good teams", he continued.

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"You can work with players and develop players and bring them on.

"The big thing about him is he's a character.

"The big stage at Elland Road won't faze him and that's what appealed to me.

"At the time I wanted to bring him in I had a lot of young players and just the magnitude of playing for Leeds United, they are heavy shirts", Redfearn explained.

"Midfield, when you think about it, was like [Alex] Mowatt, [Lewis] Cook, with Sam Byram in there, Kalvin Phillips, it was all young.

"Someone like that would have been perfect because he'd have done the same as Eunan O'Kane has done [in the current side].

"If you look at Leeds in recent times when they've had one of them, Vinnie Jones, that type, that gets hold of players and gets hold of the game by the scruff of the neck."

Barton is now available as a free agent following his departure from Rangers, but the former QPR and Marseille midfielder cannot officially sign for another club until the transfer window swings open again in January.

He shone in the Championship last season with Burnley, as the Clarets earned promotion.