Sir Alex Ferguson

The Scot has put the building blocks in place for the next generation of title contenders by gazumping bitter rivals Liverpool to sign Phil Jones from Blackburn for £16m and the summer spending is unlikely to stop there.

Ferguson told Inside United: “There’s a responsibility as the manager of Manchester United. It doesn’t go away.”

He added: “We have to carry on, there’s nothing else you can do. We have a responsibility and expectation to live up to and that carries on next season.”

Highly-rated Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea and Aston Villa flyer Ashley Young feature on a burgeoning wish-list, while Ferguson is also considering entering the race to sign Udinese’s £30m-rated Alexis Sanchez.

The signing of England Under-21 defender Jones (4/1 England – U21 Euro Championships 2011 Outright Winner) makes sense given that Rio Ferdinand, now 32, made only 19 Premier League appearances for the champions last season.

Ferguson has taken the view that the Ewood favourite, also a target for title rivals Arsenal (7/1 – Premier League Outright 2011/2012 Winner), is the perfect foil for emerging talent Chris Smalling and the pair, on paper at least, look an exciting future partnership.

It also adds weight to the theory that the likes of Wes Brown and John O’Shea, targets for Sunderland, could be shown the door, while Jonny Evans’ future at Old Trafford is also unclear.

Ferguson revealed at the club’s annual awards ceremony in May that he hoped to bring in at least three new players in the close season and the guessing games continue.

The interest in Sanchez is curious, if not speculative, given that seasoned United fans have been crying out for a midfield game-breaker not seen since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Real Madrid.

Paul Scholes has announced his retirement and Ryan Giggs is almost at the end of his illustrious career, so Ferguson is left to plug a creative gap.

The likes of Michael Carrick, Ji-Sung Park and Antonio Valencia can be relied on in the Premier League but are unlikely to scare the cream of Europe, as was illustrated in the Champions League final defeat by the Xavi-inspired Barcelona.

It opens the door for Ferguson to renew his interest in Internazionale playmaker Wesley Sneijder in what promises to be a fascinating summer.

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