Phil Jones showed Sir Alex Ferguson he could make the grade at Manchester United despite featuring in a humbling 7-1 defeat in November 2010.
The game in question came as Jones, 30, was playing for boyhood club Blackburn Rovers having emerged from the academy ranks the previous season. He formed part of a five-man defence which was ripped apart by the Red Devils with Dimitar Berbatov running riot by scoring five goals.
The only positive for Blackburn appeared to be Christopher Samba's late consolation goal to make the scoreline slightly less embarrassing. However, despite the resounding nature of his side's defeat, Jones also caught the eye of Ferguson in the opposing dugout with his tireless efforts at the back even when the game was long gone.
"I don't want to talk about that," Jones told The Guardian of the 7-1 defeat. "I remember one of the goals. Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov played about five 1-2s and scored. With five minutes left I went and stood next to Wayne – so I could be the first to ask him for his shirt." The former England defender added: "He (Ferguson) said that game showed my determination. I was still flying into tackles at 7-1 down."
The legendary former United manager made no secret of the fact he wanted to sign Jones after the mauling at Old Trafford. Speaking in August 2011, Ferguson said: "I was convinced we had to get him (Jones) after he played against us in the 7-1 game. When they lost the fifth goal, he was the one out there giving them all stick. That impressed me." Ferguson was speaking shortly after United signed Jones for an initial £16.5million in June that year.
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The centre-back had also impressed his new manager on the final day of the season, when Blackburn held the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park, although this was enough for their opponents to clinch the Premier League trophy. Jones helped United clinch another title in the 2012/13 campaign, which was Ferguson's last season in charge, and he has also won the FA Cup and Europa League while making 226 appearances across all competitions.
Having struggled with long-term injuries in recent years, Jones returned to fitness midway through the current season and played 90 minutes in January's 1-0 defeat by Wolves. He has frequently been named on the bench in subsequent games and also featured in the FA Cup fourth-round loss to Middlesbrough in February.
