Phil Jones had admitted he turned down the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal to join Manchester United.
Jones came through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers and was once highly rated as one of the best up and coming young defenders in the country as he displayed his versatility, fearlessness and special ability to drive forward with the ball at his feet.
It was no surprise that he was highly sought after and it was United who won the race to sign the centre-back in 2011 for an £18million fee.
Jones has gone on to make 244 appearances for United over his nine-year stay at Old Trafford and also became an England regular in the process, despite struggling for form and with injuries.
Yet his career could have been a lot different if he chose a different club to join, and the 28-year-old is thankful that Sir Alex Ferguson convinced him to move to Manchester.
“He was there for my first two years and he was the one who brought me from Blackburn – I’m forever grateful to him for doing that," Jones told MUTV.
“I had offers from other clubs. I could have gone to a host of clubs: [Manchester] City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton.
“He was the last person I’d spoke to and I remember walking back out with my agent and saying: ‘I want to sign for Man Utd.’ That was it. We hadn’t even discussed any personal terms, but I knew that was the club I wanted to sign for.”
