Several clubs met Blackburn’s asking price for Phil Jones last summer but the young lad decided that he wanted to join United. Liverpool even beat the asking price by £6m but Jones rejected moves to all the others.

Jones has revealed today in The Telegraph how he felt when he heard United wanted to sign him.

“It was brilliant when I heard of United’s interest, an incredible feeling,” said Jones. “The whole experience – speaking to the manager on the phone, meeting him in person, going through the whole process of signing – was fantastic. Lots of clubs showed an interest in me, but United just felt right; the whole club, the set-up. It wasn’t the fact that it was United, it was that I walked in here and met people, the staff and physios et cetera, and it just felt right. At Blackburn, when I knew there was interest from bigger clubs, I said to myself that if it [a move] happens, then it has to feel right and this felt right.”