Of all the areas in Manchester United’s squad that needs strengthening, central defence would not appear to be a high priority.
With Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand established as the first-choice pairing and Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Wes Brown and John O’Shea all able to provide cover, it is not a position in which the champions would appear to be vulnerable.
The retirement of Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, coupled with United releasing Owen Hargreaves, have left United needing new faces in key positions, but central defence was not considered one of them.
That is why United’s £16million swoop for Blackburn defender Phil Jones, as exclusively revealed by the Mirror yesterday, was considered such a shock move - especially with Liverpool seemingly confident of landing the England Under-21 star.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Spurs boss Harry Redknapp both failed with bids for the Preston-born 19-year-old, while Liverpool gaffer Kenny Dalglish was forced to concede defeat in his pursuit of Jones once United entered the race.
When Liverpool met the £16m valuation figure in the release clause in Jones’ Blackburn contract, United, who have been monitoring his progress for the past 18 months, felt they had to act to foil their arch-rivals and moved quickly to conclude the deal.
Wayne Rooney, tweeting while on holiday in Barbados, gave his backing to the signing of Jones.
“Phil Jones is a good young English player,” he wrote. “One of the toughest defenders I played against last season. Can play midfield too.”
Jones has enjoyed a meteoric rise since former Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce threw him in for his debut against Chelsea in March 2010, just a month past his 18th birthday.
Allardyce only gave Jones the nod that day because skipper Ryan Nelsen was injured and fellow defender Gavin Gunning - who was then ahead of him in the pecking order - was out on loan at Rotherham.
But Jones, fearless and uncompromising in his approach, made an immediate impact. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard was on the receiving end of one particularly hard but fair challenge, as Blackburn earned a 1-1 draw.
Since then, Jones has produced a succession of mature performances that marked him out as a player destined for a bigger stage; the interest from the Premier League’s biggest club’s testimony to his phenomenal talent.
But what impact will the arrival of Jones have on United’s defence?
Ferdinand and Vidic, fitness permitting, remain Fergie’s first-choice, and most accomplished, central defensive partnership.
According to senior figures at United, Fergie sees Jones rather than Smalling as Ferdinand’s long-term replacement
Vidic is at the peak of his powers and has committed the next few years of his career to the club, but with Ferdinand’s fitness now under scrutiny after two years of injury problems, the pressure will be on the 32-year-old to keep his first-team place ahead of younger men desperate to usurp him.
Jones has served notice of his huge potential in the 14 months since his Blackburn debut, Fergie and his coaching staff having seen enough in 26 Premier League appearances last season to convince them he had the character and ability to be a United player.
Although Jones is versatile enough to play as a defensive midfielder, Fergie is understood to have bought him to play at the back.
The United boss is set to add to his summer spending in the coming weeks by addressing his midfield shortcomings.
The biggest casualties from the signing of Jones are likely to be Evans and Brown, both of whom are set to leave Old Trafford this summer in one of the biggest shake-ups at the club in years.
Brown, whose last appearance for United was in March, does not want to uproot his family from the North-West and could now follow Phil Neville's route to Everton, while Evans may return to Sunderland, where he enjoyed loan spells in 2007 and 2008.
Smalling, who performed so impressively in his debut campaign at United last season following his £10m switch from Fulham, is another player for whom the arrival of Jones represents a huge personal test.
When Ferdinand was sidelined with injury last season, Smalling formed a successful partnership with Vidic, and it promises to be a fascinating duel between him and Jones for the right to be the No.3 centre-back.
What the capture of Jones reinforces is Fergie’s enduring desire to reinvent United, continually look to the future and ensure the squad he eventually passes on to the club's next manager has the best possible chance of maintaining his extraordinary success.
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