England defender Phil Jones has insisted that he will be able to keep his cool should he come up against Diego Costa when the Three Lions take on Spain on Friday.
Costa has enhanced his reputation as a physical striker during his time at Chelsea, with the 27-year-old receiving a ban for clashing with Gabriel Paulista earlier this season while also being involved in controversial incidents with Martin Skrtel and Ryan Shawcross in recent weeks.
However, Jones believes that he is now mature enough to deal with any antagonism that might come his way during the friendly in Alicante.
"I have had [players trying to wind me up] before and I will deal with it in my own way if I play," Jones is quoted as saying by PA.
"When I was younger and growing up even in training if someone stuck one on me, even by accident, I would go after them. But now I am more experienced. I am not going to go around kicking players. I am going to stick to my own game if I get the chance to play. I think it is just a progressive thing.
"I started playing at Blackburn at a young age so as I got moved on to Manchester United the more games you play the more understanding and awareness you have of the situation you are in. This is football. You have to be mentally strong and prepared going into the game and I don't think that will be something that we will be focusing on to a great extent."
England will return to Wembley to host France on Tuesday following their match with Spain.
Barney Corkhill
