Manchester United defender Phil Jones has revealed that he had the option to sign for both Arsenal and Chelsea before joining United from Blackburn Rovers back in 2011.
After breaking through Rovers' youth set-up at Ewood Park, the 28-year-old quickly began to establish himself as a Premier League-level defender and was soon attracting interest from a host of top-end Premier League clubs.
In the end, it was Manchester United, who were under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson at the time, that won the race for his signature, as the Red Devils paid a fee of around £16.5million to secure the signing of one of the most promising defenders breaking onto the scene at that time.
Having now been at United for the best part of nine years, the defender, who has been restricted to just eight appearances at Old Trafford this season, has revealed that he had a whole host of options on the table before deciding on a move to United, including a switch to either Arsenal or Chelsea.
“I had offers from other clubs," said Jones, speaking to MUTV. "I could have gone to a host of clubs: [Manchester] City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton. He [Sir Alex Ferguson] 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 United.’
"That was it. We hadn’t even discussed any personal terms, but I knew that was the club I wanted to sign for.
“His understanding of every player [set him apart]. His understanding and level of communications with those players was the best I’ve ever been involved with."
