For Phil Jones, now only an official announcement away from
being confirmed as the most expensive teenager in English football,
it came down to a position where virtually every top club in the
country were fluttering their eyelashes in his direction.
Only Manchester City out of the Premier League's top six did not
follow up their interest in the former Balshaws High School pupil
who still lives with his parents, Mark and Helen, in Leyland. City
had watched him closely and were impressed by his potential, the
way Jones had slipped seamlessly into top-flight football and the
leadership skills that had led to comparisons with a young John
Terry, but concluded that the Blackburn Rovers player made too many
mistakes and may not be value for money.
At Manchester
United they saw something different: someone with such a
rare talent they could not allow him to join one of their rivals –
even though the timing did not entirely suit.
Sir Alex
Ferguson had been leaning towards waiting a year before
it became apparent he could not delay any longer. Jones was already
mulling over offers from Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur
by the time United moved in and triggered the £16m release clause
to gazump everyone.
Chelsea had also begun the process of trying to extract him from
Ewood Park but Jones had misgivings about moving to London and, to
quote one friend, "did not fancy Liverpool". By the time Arsène
Wenger rang on Tuesday night the teenager's mind was already clear.
Ferguson, always aware of the benefits of getting the family
onside, had already spoken to Jones's parents, promising that
United would provide a stable environment for a player thrust into
a new life of riches and potential glories.
The only issue for Jones now is how long he has to wait. Wes
Brown and John O'Shea will shortly be leaving Old Trafford but
Jones is still joining a club with an established central defensive
partnership in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, an accomplished
backup in Chris Smalling and a fourth player, Jonny Evans, who has
endured a difficult year but still shown sporadic glimpses of
developing into a top defender.
The signing, moreover, does not necessarily mean Ferguson will
abandon his plans to recruit the 18-year-old Raphaël Varane from
Lens. Varane, like Jones, has come to United's attention after a
series of outstanding displays in central defence and as a holding
midfielder. He would cost around £8m.
The player with the most legitimate cause for concern is Evans,
who seems certain to be shunted into the role of fifth-choice
centre-back only a year after being the first-choice replacement if
either Ferdinand or Vidic was absent.
But Ferdinand, too, could be forgiven for wondering what Jones's
arrival means for him over the next couple of years. Ferdinand is
33 later this year and his injury problems mean he may be
approaching his final season as an automatic first-team pick.
What cannot be disputed is that it leaves United's defence in
tremendous shape for the short, medium and long-term. An £18m deal
for Spain's Under-21 international goalkeeper, David de Gea, should
be finalised with Atlético Madrid in the coming weeks. Patrice Evra
admitted on Wednesday "this wasn't my best season", culminating in
his poor performance in the Champions League Final, but the
Frenchman is still a talented, attacking left-back. Add to that,
the development of the 19-year-old Da Silva twins, Rafael and
Fabio, and potentially Varane, and Ferguson, that strategic
planner, is entitled to think he has put in place United's defence
for the next decade.
