It was little over a year ago when Phil Jones made his debut for Blackburn, yet since then it would be fair to say that the giant defender has come on leaps and bounds. He has won plaudits across the country and with Manchester United agreeing a £17m package with Blackburn for his services, he has perhaps been handed the biggest compliment yet by his soon to be manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Despite Rovers enduring something of a poor campaign, Jones himself has been superb and rumors have been rife for some while that he has been set for a big money move. Liverpool and Arsenal have both been linked but as it has been revealed today, Jones has turned down the opportunity to join both of these clubs.

Instead, he will link up at Old Trafford although his chances of first team action are likely to be significantly slimmer than that at current club Rovers. While Sir Alex Ferguson is spending a lot of money on the 19-year-old, he still has the likes of Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic all pushing for those two centre half positions.

Still, the signing of Jones undoubtedly signals United’s intentions to invest in youth. Their defeat to Barcelona last month showed that while they are big players in the English league, in Europe they are not anywhere near as dominant.

Jones may not go straight into the first team, but within a few years there is little doubt that he will be a key fixture in the United defense. In the 35 appearances he has made for Blackburn he has proved a real handful for attackers and with age this is only going to improve. However, the deal is not yet completely sealed, with Jones having to pass a medical before he can be formally revealed as a Manchester United player.