WIll Phil Jones be the most expensive gamble Sir Alex Ferguson has ever taken at Manchester United?

Sir Alex Ferguson has been fairly consistent with his method of squad-building during his time at Old Trafford. As Arsene Wenger's frustrating patience in youth provides a stark contrast to Chelsea's recent scattergun approach of splashing the cash and seeing who can be tempted, the Manchester United boss has expertly combined the two. 

The signing of 19-year-old Phil Jones for £16.5 million - a figure that could eventually rise to above £20m should certain targets be reached - appears to be the perfect summation of the United method.

But despite the justifiably lauded successes of the Scot's era, you can't say that his strategy of recruitment isn't sometimes flawed. Indeed, some of Sir Alex's signings have been inspired, with Peter Schmeichel, Nemanja Vidic and most recently Chicharito proving that gambles can pay off in lucrative fashion. 

That being said; Ralph Milne, Kleberson and Bebe are only a number of individual cautionary tales. Their only legacy being the seeds of doubt that will meet eyebrow-raising deals such as the one completed on Monday for Jones. 

Whether it be the tightening of the owner's purse strings in recent years or a lack of value in the market as Sir Alex chooses to put it, the capture of the Blackburn youngster is going to be only the club's second transfer of over £15m since the summer of 2008 - immense pressure on a youngster who has yet to play the equivalent of a full Premier League season at first-team level.

The reported fee of £16.5m would make Jones the eighth most expensive player in the club's history and having only played 35 games of first-team football for the Ewood Park outfit, the defender enters the Red Devils' top 10 most-expensive list with less experience than any of those he follows.

Those closest to Jones in the list in terms of experience prior to joining the Premier League champions are Nani and Anderson; two players who themselves would admit took time to adapt to not only the English game but also the pressure of playing at one of the greatest clubs on the planet.

Of course, Jones is not changing footballing cultures in the sense that he is switching countries or divisions, but he would be naive to think that he will be playing in exactly the same way under Ferguson as he did in Lancashire.

Excluding the case of Bebe, Sir Alex is not one to shoot into the dark and it must be acknowledged that the 69-year-old has been monitoring the progress of the youngster labelled as "the new John Terry" since he broke into the Blackburn first team a season ago. To have sustained the interest of his new boss since suggests that this is no ordinary teenager.

Jones' performance against his new employers on the day that they secured their 19th title at Ewood Park will have further affirmed Sir Alex's admiration for the centre-back. It was enough to draw praise from Wayne Rooney, who described the Preston-born stopper as one of the toughest opponents he has faced.

In addition, Jones joins the club having played 10 more games than Cristiano Ronaldo had managed for Sporting Lisbon before he became the the Premier League's finest player at the Theatre of Dreams. The Da Silva twins who may partner the new signing in defence hadn't played at the top level once between them ahead of their arrival in Manchester.

Jones has the potential to deserve the benefit of the doubt ahead of the move that looks set to define his career. His nerveless displays in the heat of his former side's relegation battle last season would suggest that this is a player with a level-headed maturity that belies his years.

To be paying nearly as many millions as a player's age is likely to be a risk regardless of their experience. Sir Alex, a man whose love of horse racing is much publicised, is too well-versed in knowing when a gamble is worth taking. 

The signs for now suggest that he has backed a winner in his new £16.5m man.