‘Arsenal and Chelsea wanted me – but one question made me choose Manchester United’
'I was fortunate, a whole host of clubs were interested.'
A former Manchester United star says he could have joined Arsenal or Chelsea before one question from Sir Alex Ferguson convinced him to move to Old Trafford.
Phil Jones attracted substantial interest from Premier League clubs during his brief spell in the first-team squad of his boyhood club Blackburn Rovers.
He says Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City were among the clubs interested in securing his signature – with United in fact one of the few teams not to make contact over a deal.
Jones was considering his options while on holiday with his wife in the summer of 2011 when Alex Ferguson finally called him up in an attempt to bring him to the Theatre of Dreams.
A face-to-face meeting followed and Jones says one question towards the end of the chat convinced him he had to sign for Manchester United.
‘Obviously I signed for United, but there was Chelsea, Arsenal,’ Jones said on the High Performance Podcast.
‘I met with Arsene Wenger, I met with David Moyes, I met with City, a few of the representatives at City, Harry Redknapp rang me. I was fortunate, I had a whole host of clubs.
‘I could have chosen anyone. I met with all these people and then the only club that didn’t ring me or speak to me was Man United.
‘So I’m in Dubai with my wife, this is before we had kids and an unknown number rings me.
‘I never answer unknown numbers, that’s one thing I’ve changed now because you to network, you answer every call now.
‘Then it rings me again so my wife’s like “you’re going to have to answer it”. So I answered it half asleep in bed, it must have been eight o’clock in the morning.
‘This voice comes on and says, “Phil, Sir Alex here.” I’ve literally shot out of bed, my wife’s going “what’s going on” and then he just said basically along the lines of “we’d love to have you at the club, I’ve loved watching you, I know everything about you and I’d love you to come out to Nice to come and see me and have a chat with me”.
‘So that was it, put the phone down, flew back. He was on holiday at the time, they’d just got beat, it was the season they got beat by Barcelona in the Champions League, 3-1, they absolutely battered United that game as well.
‘So I went out to meet him with my agent, David Gill, went on a private plane which again for me being on a private plane, I’m 18-years-old going out to see Sir Alex on a private plane.
‘Met him in his house in Nice and I remember being so nervous, I’ve never felt nerves like it. My agent’s gone upstairs with David Gill and I’m sat having a conversation with Sir Alex like this and was absolutely bricking it.
‘He didn’t ask me for half an hour, 40 minutes, he didn’t ask me one question on football.
‘It was, “how’s your family, how’s your mum, how’s your dad, what were your grades like at school?” I was just like, “is he going to ask me about football?”
‘It made me feel so relaxed and it really wasn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be now I’ve met with other managers and it’s been quite intimidating.
‘I’m only a young kid obviously, but he’s made me feel so relaxed. Even though I’m still on edge a little bit.
‘So he asked me all these questions about my grades, my scores and all these other things and then my agent came down.
‘Then he started to talk about football a little bit, “I watched you in this game and I love your passion” and then at the end I remember the last thing he said to me and it still gives me shivers.
‘He looked me in the eyes and said, “Phil, are you a winner son?” In my head I’m thinking “where do I sign?” And I was meeting Arsenal literally three hours later in London.
‘I was flying to London to go and meet Arsene Wenger and I remember I came out and just said to my agent “I don’t want to go, I’m done, I’ve made my decision”.
‘It was just the aura of him, the presence of him, the way he carried himself, the way he explained and sold the club to me as like no other.’
Ferguson ill-advisedly said Jones ‘could be our best ever player’ two years after his arrival at Manchester United but the ex-defender largely struggled at Old Trafford and became a figure of fun among fans.
He still made more than 200 Premier League appearances, however, and won the title in Fergie’s last season in 2013 before lifting the FA Cup and Europa League later in his career.
Injury-prone Jones, who earned 27 caps for England, announced his retirement from football in August and now plans to go into coaching, currently working in the Manchester United academy.
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