'You saw Jones tonight. Arguably, the way he is looking, he could be our best-ever player.'
Sir Alex Ferguson was speaking amid the jubilation of Manchester United's 13th Premier League title win in 2013.
His own personal legacy long since secure, his wildly successful 27-year mission complete, Ferguson believed he was handing United over in good shape.
He thought Phil Jones would be one of the pillars of a continued dynasty of glory at Old Trafford. It was a time when the strapping and brave England international, then 21, was being compared through misty eyes to Duncan Edwards.