Beware, United will keep spending

Phil Jones has passed a medical, Ashley Young is coming too, but Manchester United aren't finished. Sir Alex Ferguson still has his biggest problem to solve; improving his midfield.

He wants a playmaker, but they are hard to find. And when you get hold of one, it's best not to sell them. So he might have to look beyond Luka Modric . . .

A natural: Samir Nasri could add guile and goals to United's midfield

He needs a maestro of his own. The young French boy, Marvin Martin, is getting some fantastic reviews. Even Zinedine Zidane is raving about the Sochaux midfielder and he can't be a bad judge, can he? Samir Nasri is a natural target for United. It hurts Arsenal and strengthens their squad with one signing, if they can snare him. 

He's a dribbling midfielder who slides passes through and can create and score.

Jones, the central defender from Blackburn, is an excellent purchase. He's a natural defender, who can also play the holding midfield role in a 4-3-3 formation. He's big and powerful, but he can shift. His pace might surprise people.

The challenges of moving to a big club should not be underestimated; it takes time to settle. The spotlight and expectation increases, everyone wants to beat you. Jones has the temperament to cope with that.

So too does Young. I like it that he has come into the England team and played better than he does for Aston Villa, with a 'give me the ball' attitude. It shows he is capable of raising his game.

Surprise package: Phil Jones (left) has power and pace

He scores goals, takes free-kicks and has pace coming in off the left flank on to his right foot. He's ready for the next level.

None of this from United will be a knee-jerk reaction to losing to Barcelona. Sir Alex would have been plotting these signings for some time and the loss of Paul Scholes will have hastened the need to shake it all up again.

The title rivals have not been so quick off the mark, but United have laid down the challenge. Stand still and clubs will overtake you. 

Liverpool are certainly not standing still. Jordan Henderson is an expensive signing, but he is a modern midfielder,  an athlete.

He can learn the game from Steven Gerrard and improve on areas of his performance: for a start, he needs to score more goals.

He started last season well, but dipped. It happens when you are a young player and you cannot understand why your form has faded. It could have been the pressure of playing so many games, or being the local boy in a struggling side. He finished the season strongly, when his team were in danger and that is a sign of his quality.

This busy week in the market makes you wish the new season was starting today.