from 30 yards. In the match against FC Groningen, he again scored a goal from a free kick, just 25 yards out, receiving the Man of the Match award. In the short time he was with NEC Nijmegen, he got himself placed second on their Man of the Year list, with 134 points, thirty points behind talented striker Romano Denneboom. The team ended 10th in 2006 and Jones returned to England having signed a new three-year deal at Manchester United. Despite his success in the Netherlands, the arrival of £14 million Michael Carrick from Tottenham meant Jones was restricted to appearances in the League Cup. On 15 November 2006, a bid of £1 million from Derby County was accepted. The deal would see Jones initially move on loan to Pride Park until the January transfer window – the first possible opportunity to make the transfer a permanent one. In moving to Derby, Jones would link up once again with Billy Davies, manager of Preston during his loan spell there. Derby County Jones' Derby career started promisingly, with the midfielder establishing himself as first choice in midfield and contributing significantly to Derby's push for promotion, including scoring a stoppage-time free-kick in the 1–0 home win against Sheffield Wednesday. Alex Ferguson once remarked that he had sold Jones too cheaply to Derby. However, as the season drew to a close Derby's form took a dip and Jones found himself moving to the fringes of the first team, only appearing as an 87th-minute substitute in the 1–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in the Championship Playoff Final which promoted Derby to the Premier League. Despite Derby struggling on their return to the top flight Jones was unable to force himself into the first team on a regular basis, playing only 15 times in the league. He scored the first top flight goal of his career in Derby's 6–1 defeat at Chelsea on 12 March 2008. Jones was in and out of the side under new manager Paul Jewell, although he did make 12 of his 15 appearances that season under Jewell. Wolverhampton Wanderers Jones signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Championship on 27 June 2008 in a three-year deal for a reported fee of £1.2 million. He made his Wolves debut on the opening day of the 2008–09 season at Plymouth Argyle and scored his first goal in a 5–1 win over Nottingham