Reds Wanted Jones In January

United first made an enquiry to sign Phil Jones in January, two months after the defender caught Sir Alex Ferguson's eye during the Reds' 7-1 battering of Blackburn Rovers.

The youngster's character in the face of that Dimitar Berbatov-inspired demolition caught the eye of the manager, proving he always has his mind on the bigger picture.

It had been suspected that the mystery player the boss revealed he tried to sign in January was Ashley Young, but it now appears as though Jones was the target all along.

At the time, Sir Alex admitted in his column for United Review, the official matchday programme: "Although I let the transfer window shut without signing a new player, that is because we did our homework some time ago and didn't have to rush into any emergency buying.

"We had an interest in one player, and I thought we had a chance of bringing him in, but the other parties involved weren't ready and so we have put it away until the summer."

When quizzed this week on his long-standing interest in Jones, the manager explained when he first became interested in bringing the teenager in from Blackburn.

"It was November," Sir Alex recalled. "He was just one [of those players] you couldn't miss when one comes along in the game.

"He's definitely got all the parts there's no question about that. He's got good desire to play and is a good trainer. There's great determination about him.

"He played against us in the 7-1 game and, when they lost the fifth goal, he was out giving them all stick and he was only 18 then.

"I was very impressed. We did make an enquiry in January but Blackburn wouldn't sell him then."