Phil's £16m arrival sparks Utd spree

Posted Thursday, June 09, 2011 by The Sun

ALEX FERGUSON took his summer spending spree to £35million by signing Blackburn's Phil Jones.

And the Manchester United boss will not stop there as he rejuvenates his title-winning squad.

Jones, 19, had a medical at Carrington yesterday after agreeing a five-year deal initially worth £40,000 a week.

Fergie snatched the defender from under Liverpool's nose in a £16.5m swoop.

He already has an £18.3m deal for At- letico Madrid From Back Page keeper David De Gea, 20, in the bag and is close to sealing a £20m move for Aston Villa's Ashley Young.

Now Fergie is even considering joining the race for Udinese's £30m-rated ace Alexis Sanchez, 22, who is also a Manchester City target.

Jones - who last night jetted out to join the England Under-21 squad in Denmark - is clearly part of Ferguson's vision for the future as he injects more youth into his squad.

And Wayne Rooney last night gave Jones' move the thumbs up, tweeting: "He's one of the toughest defenders I played against last season."

Blackburn owners Venky's have promised boss Steve Kean all cash from the sale and the Ewood chief is weighing up a move for Aston Villa defender James Collins, 27.