United to seal Jones deal despite Pool's 11th-hour £22m bid
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Fergie 2 Kop 0: United boss snaps up Phil Jones... and now for Ashley Young
Big money move: Phil Jones departs following his medical with Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson will complete a dramatic transfer double over Liverpool in the next 48 hours by signing England winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa in a £15million deal.
The Manchester United manager took time out from his holiday in the south of France to ambush old rival Kenny Dalglish by paying £16.5m to snatch Blackburn’s teenage defender Phil Jones from Liverpool’s grasp.
And, as revealed in Sportsmail last month, Ferguson is convinced he will win the race for Anfield target Young as well.
The 25-year-old’s agent, Eric Walters, was understood to have been at United’s training ground at Carrington yesterday to finalise the deal.
Young is said to want the move to Old Trafford tied up before his wedding this weekend.
His arrival will complete a remarkable coup for Ferguson following the capture of Jones on Wednesday.
Liverpool thought they were first in line for the highly rated 19-year-old after agreeing to sign his England Under 21 team-mate Jordan Henderson from Sunderland in a deal worth £20m.
Both players were given permission to miss England’s flight to Denmark ahead of the European Under 21 Championship.
But, while Henderson travelled to Merseyside for his medical, Jones and his representatives met United to complete a five-year deal worth £40,000 a week.
Ferguson acted on his long-standing interest in Jones when it looked like the player was bound for Anfield, the manager interrupting his summer holiday to sanction the deal.
He told Jones he sees him as the long-term replacement for Rio Ferdinand and also talked to his parents.
Dalglish and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger are both believed to have spoken to the teenager after agreeing to meet the £16m release clause in his contract.
The Gunners will now turn their attention to landing Bolton’s Gary Cahill or Blackburn’s Chris Samba having missed out on Jones.
Hot property: Jones had his pick of Premier League clubs
Blackburn also made a huge effort to keep Jones, offering to beat United’s terms by making him the highest-paid player at Ewood Park on £50,000 a week, while Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp confirmed he made a late bid.
‘We were in for him along with about five other top clubs,’ said Redknapp. ‘I think everybody was in for the boy.
‘Obviously he had a choice and he’s made up his mind that Manchester United was the move for him.
‘I think he’s got the potential to go on one day to be an England centre half and maybe even a captain of England. I think he’s that good so Alex has pulled off a real coup.’
United striker Wayne Rooney was first to indicate that a deal had been done when he wrote on Twitter: ‘Phil Jones is a good young English player. One of the toughest defenders I played against last season. Can play midfield too.’
Ferguson will take his summer spending to almost £50m when he completes the signing of Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid.
Although 20-year-old De Gea insisted yesterday he will make an announcement on his future after the European Under 21 Championship, a £17m deal is already in place as United look to replace Edwin van der Sar, who retired at the end of the season.
United he stands: Ashley Young is set to sign at Old Trafford
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Well, liverpool got jordan henderson. I hope we get 2 more star midfielders.....
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Well, if these 3 (Jones, Young, De Gea) deals go through as claimed, I would be a very very pleased United fan although we still need a Scholes' replacement.
Oh, and hopefully these deals will path way for O'Shea, Brown and Gibson's move to Sunderland!
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The transfers now mininum at least 10million bid...
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Originally posted by Y_Shun:
The transfers now mininum at least 10million bid...
No leh, N'Gog is worth 7m!
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N'gog is reportedly worth 7 million pounds whereas the transfer for Henderson is 13 million pounds (not sure with or without add-ons)
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ashley young paves way for the much better n'zogbia to villa....
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ha ha ha Phil Jones move hit snag Phil Jones' move to Manchester United from Blackburn Rovers has been put on hold by a dispute about the player's valuation worth f25M. I hope chelsea or arsenal can hiject the move by offer f30m. Please don't make man u too powerful boring to see them wining very time.
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common sense tell him the best team to join is man u and he exercised it.
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The chicken farmers are really pushing their luck but looking at the past deals that United have done before (Rooney, Carrick, Berbatov), I'm quite sure United will give in to their demands, probably settling at 18m-20m.
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Phil Jones is being bought for the future not the present... Of course he will play some games this season but he isn't being seen as the main signing so to speak... Established players like Young, a necessary one in goal, and a play maker to replace Scholes are the main objectives. Jones will probably be a sub more often than not if Fletcher isn't fit... In defence, well if Rio is injured again, there's still a toss up between Evans, Smalling and himself... And Smalling has proven to be an able stand in so far...
On the price, it's not totally unthinkable... Blackburn may have second thoughts after seeing so many clubs willing to meet his $16m fee... There is always this problem where they may think... Hang on here, maybe we could get more for this kid with so many big clubs interested. Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea...
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SAM ALLARDYCE insists whizkid Phil Jones will become a major star at Manchester United.
Big Sam was Jones' boss at Blackburn and handed him his Premier League debut in March 2010.
The defender, 19, sealed a £16.5million switch to Old Trafford this week. And Allardyce, now in charge at West Ham, said: "With a little more experience, which he is going to gain quickly at United, he will ultimately become an England defender.
"His mental strength and the abilities to cope with the pressure of the Premier League at such a young age stood out.
"He wasn't fazed and that is important going into the biggest league in the world at such a young age.
"He made his debut against Chelsea and was man of the match.
"His mental strength was always going to be good enough and that is one of the biggest factors if you are going to be a top, top player."
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United's Jones bid in tatters: Blackburn warn they won't be bullied as Liverpool launch £22m swoop
Destination unknown: Blackburn's owners could spark a bidding war for Phil Jones
Manchester United’s multi-million pound signing of teenage defender Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers lies in tatters.
Blackburn’s Indian owners have reacted furiously to what they perceive as United’s attempt to railroad them into selling the 19-year-old and have told United: ‘We will not be bullied’.
And in a stunning 11th-hour development on Saturday, the Mail on Sunday can reveal that Liverpool have told Blackburn they will pay £22million for Jones, a move that will ruin Sir Alex Ferguson’s holiday mood as he takes a break in the south of France.
Arsenal have also belatedly submitted a bid that tops United’s £16.5m offer, and with Chelsea showing serious interest in the player, too, an auction appears to be unfolding. It will come as a bitter blow to Ferguson if he misses out on Jones, and it will sting all the harder if the player ends up at United’s fierce rivals at Anfield.
Rovers’ owners have been angered by United’s attitude and at a meeting on Saturday in Pune, India, which was attended by manager Steve Kean — straight off a plane to Mumbai — they resolved to prevent the deal going through.
United have offered to make Jones the highest-paid teenager in the history of English football with a startling £80,000-a-week contract, but Blackburn are even prepared to top that.
Rovers chairwoman Anuradha Desai made it clear to Kean and fellow executives, who made up a ‘war council’ in India, that they must try to persuade the defender to stay. The prospect of being a future club captain is also being dangled before Jones.
Standing firm: Blackburn chiefs Balaji Rao (left) and Venkatesh Rao have told United they will not be bullied into selling Phil Jones
Money is said to be ‘not an issue’ for Desai’s family, who are billionaires through their Venky’s poultry conglomerate.
They want to keep their best players, especially homegrown talents such as Jones.
But if they fail to persuade him, they will do all they can to elicit the best price from one of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, United or Tottenham, telling Jones: ‘If you go, you go where we get the best money.’
A source close to Rovers said. ‘United can’t do what they want in this case. Jones is a Blackburn player and while there is a clause that could mean he leaves, it’s far from the straightforward issue everyone assumes it to be.’
Jones signed a United shirt for fans while training with England’s Under-21s in Denmark on Friday and, along with his representatives and United, had thought the transfer was a formality.
The player wants to join United but it is not known whether he has even been informed yet that Liverpool have made a bigger offer.
Major headache: Sir Alex Ferguson could have his holiday ruined by recent developments
Whisked away: Jones completed a medical with Manchester United on Wednesday
A major headache for United is in the interpretation of the release clause in Jones’s contract. They triggered it with their £16.5m offer and were allowed to talk to the player as a result.
But Rovers have taken legal advice and insist the clause does not force them to sell to the first club to meet the figure.
The biggest loser in all this could be England Under- 21 boss Stuart Pearce.
He would not name his team on Saturday night for the opening game against Spain as the possibility of the transfer deal distracting the versatile defender grew.
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Actually why does Man Utd need Jones?
Defenders wise they have Vidic+Smalling
Unless they want to play Jones as DM?
The same story goes with Young. Who is gonna be sacrificed on the wing? Nani or Valencia?
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for young
they muz has believe that valencia would get inj again
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For Young, he would be their only natural left footer after Giggs. He is also able to play right and up-front... Jones, he is for the future but maybe he can start to contribute in defence and midfield should O'Shea, Brown and Gibson are sold i guess.
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Originally posted by zocoss:
For Young, he would be their only natural left footer after Giggs. He is also able to play right and up-front... Jones, he is for the future but maybe he can start to contribute in defence and midfield should O'Shea, Brown and Gibson are sold i guess.
omg this is the second time you've said young is naturally left footed....do you call joe cole a natural left footer too??
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Well, if you still insist he isn't a natural left-sided player then it's your choice lah, I can respect that.
But I maintain my opinion having seen him played countless times for Villa in that position as well as in attack and excel in it for club and country to a point where he has made a name for himself to warrant suggestions that he would be Giggs replacement in the near future... As i have said, I belief he would be the best United can have in that position to whatever they currently have...
Look, there are some wingers who can play on both wings, Young is just one of them... But of these, there is always a side that they seem to perform better on... Like Nani can play on both sides either but it's the right that he excel in... Or Villa's very own Steward Downing who was a regular left-winger for Middlesbrough all along but is moved to the right wing at Villa. Perhaps we should ask why so?
Does he perform better on the right-wing or has Young outshine him on the left? Whichever we think is the reason, it points to the same outcome...
Just like Ronaldo and Messi seems to does better on the right wing than on the left... And Robben and Giggs seems to do better on the other side...
Anyway, would you dare suggest he won't take up the left wing position in the United team or in which ever team should he join them? I like to know...
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I'm not disputing with about young being a natural left sided player, what i want to say is there is a difference between a natural left footer and a left sided player...
see a natural left footer means that he's born comfortable playing with his left foot
so i would call someone like robben a natural left footer but his natural position is right wing rather than just a natural right footer...
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Originally posted by The man who was death:
I'm not disputing with about young being a natural left sided player, what i want to say is there is a difference between a natural left footer and a left sided player...
see a natural left footer means that he's born comfortable playing with his left foot
so i would call someone like robben a natural left footer but his natural position is right wing rather than just a natural right footer...
A bit off topic to Tennis.....like Rafael Nadal is naturally right handed but is now more comfortable playing as a left hander (to boost his backhand). :D :D
Like Glenn Johnson is a natural right footer but has been played by KK on the left a few times last season and he may be ended up on the left for the rest of his career, if he excel there (which was not bad last season on the left).
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Originally posted by The man who was death:
I'm not disputing with about young being a natural left sided player, what i want to say is there is a difference between a natural left footer and a left sided player...
see a natural left footer means that he's born comfortable playing with his left foot
so i would call someone like robben a natural left footer but his natural position is right wing rather than just a natural right footer...
Ok, at least we agree his best and most effective position to date is on the left side of midfield... Come to think of it, if he wasn't equally competent or better on the left, why play him there right? -
Man United stars hail the capture of England Under 21 defender Jones from Blackburn
'Once in a lifetime': Phil Jones (centre) could not turn down Man United
Potential: Chris Smalling (right) is excited about his partnership with Jones
Phil Jones insisted he has been given a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' after sealing his dream move to Manchester United.
After a couple of late hitches, the England Under 21 defender's switch from Blackburn went through on Monday and he will sign a five-year deal when he returns from the European Championship in Denmark.
United issued a statement saying they were delighted to land Jones, who passed a medical last week. They will pay £16.5million for the 19-year-old, who used his Twitter account to speak about the challenge that awaits him.
'I'd just like to start off by saying that I've loved my time at Blackburn and I will always be a huge fan,' he said. 'But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am looking forward to a new challenge.'
Jones was warmly welcomed by new colleagues Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, who used the same website to hail his arrival at Old Trafford and send the defender messages of support.
Chris Smalling was also thrilled the deal for Jones had gone through and hopes, given time, they will replicate the impressive centre-half partnership they have shown for the Under 21s. Both excelled in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Spain.
Smalling said: 'It's brilliant that Phil and I will be at the same club. I've really enjoyed playing with him and it's hard to think he's only 19, so hopefully we can play together for a few years.
'I'd like to think we've both got a bit of both (Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand) in our games. The manager (Stuart Pearce) wants us both to attack and also not to give the striker an inch, and in the second half (against Spain) we were stepping forward another yard.
'Phil and I have been playing together for many of the games. Jonah's come in, done really well and we've been able to set our stall out. A couple more clean sheets and that'll hopefully see us through to the knockout stages.'
Blackburn had hoped to secure a fee in the region of £22m for Jones but the £16.5m bid from United triggered a clause in his contract. Despite renewed bids by Liverpool to hijack the deal, Sir Alex Ferguson stole a march on his rivals.
According to manager Steve Kean, Rovers made Jones a staggering offer to stay but he had his heart set on joining United.
'Phil wants to play Champions League football now,' Kean said 'We gave it a real good try but I understand why he wants to go.'
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Young crosses more with his right than his left...
Anyway, I feel he is not as impactful as the 07/08 or 08/09 seasons... and recently, with the arrival of Downing, it seems like both of them always switches flanks during the games by MON.
Then when Houllier came, he played behind the main striker (Heskey?) instead.
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I think Ashely Young arrival will just be to have enough wingers to cover or rotate.
Young plays on the left with his natural right foot and likes to cut into the box so that the position allows him to take a shot (like how Robben likes to do it on the other side as well as messi). He is not that kind of crosser like Valencia in my book and to compare him to robben and messi is still quite some way behind them.
