For Phil Jones, now only an official announcement away from being confirmed as the most expensive teenager in English football, it came down to a position where virtually every top club in the country were fluttering their eyelashes in his direction.
Only Manchester City out of the Premier League's top six did not follow up their interest in the former Balshaws High School pupil who still lives with his parents, Mark and Helen, in Leyland. City had watched him closely and were impressed by his potential, the way Jones had slipped seamlessly into top-flight football and the leadership skills that had led to comparisons with a young John Terry, but concluded that the Blackburn Rovers player made too many mistakes and may not be value for money.
At Manchester United they saw something different: someone with such a rare talent they could not allow him to join one of their rivals – even though the timing did not entirely suit.
Sir Alex Ferguson had been leaning towards waiting a year before it became apparent he could not delay any longer. Jones was already mulling over offers from Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur by the time United moved in and triggered the £16m release clause to gazump everyone.
Chelsea had also begun the process of trying to extract him from Ewood Park but Jones had misgivings about moving to London and, to quote one friend, "did not fancy Liverpool". By the time Arsène Wenger rang on Tuesday night the teenager's mind was already clear. Ferguson, always aware of the benefits of getting the family onside, had already spoken to Jones's parents, promising that United would provide a stable environment for a player thrust into a new life of riches and potential glories.
The only issue for Jones now is how long he has to wait. Wes Brown and John O'Shea will shortly be leaving Old Trafford but Jones is still joining a club with an established central defensive partnership in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, an accomplished backup in Chris Smalling and a fourth player, Jonny Evans, who has endured a difficult year but still shown sporadic glimpses of developing into a top defender.
The signing, moreover, does not necessarily mean Ferguson will abandon his plans to recruit the 18-year-old Raphaël Varane from Lens. Varane, like Jones, has come to United's attention after a series of outstanding displays in central defence and as a holding midfielder. He would cost around £8m.
The player with the most legitimate cause for concern is Evans, who seems certain to be shunted into the role of fifth-choice centre-back only a year after being the first-choice replacement if either Ferdinand or Vidic was absent.
But Ferdinand, too, could be forgiven for wondering what Jones's arrival means for him over the next couple of years. Ferdinand is 33 later this year and his injury problems mean he may be approaching his final season as an automatic first-team pick.
What cannot be disputed is that it leaves United's defence in tremendous shape for the short, medium and long-term. An £18m deal for Spain's Under-21 international goalkeeper, David de Gea, should be finalised with Atlético Madrid in the coming weeks. Patrice Evra admitted on Wednesday "this wasn't my best season", culminating in his poor performance in the Champions League Final, but the Frenchman is still a talented, attacking left-back. Add to that, the development of the 19-year-old Da Silva twins, Rafael and Fabio, and potentially Varane, and Ferguson, that strategic planner, is entitled to think he has put in place United's defence for the next decade.
