"The way he is looking, he could be our best ever player. He may be one of the best players we have ever had, no matter where we play him. At 21 years of age, he is going to be a phenomenal player. He can play anywhere on the pitch. He has such a massive influence, with his instinct and reading of the game. He has a drive about him."

Who was Sir Alex Ferguson talking about when he made that statement? Ryan Giggs in 1994? Paul Scholes or David Beckham in 1995? Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney in 2006? No. He was talking about Phil Jones on Monday night.

Ferguson had watched his players respond to Manchester City's challenge by winning the title at Old Trafford with four games to spare. He had witnessed a glorious hat-trick from a player who was deemed injury-prone and overpriced when he joined the club for £24m last summer. He might even have enjoyed a few swigs of champagne.

Monday night was as good a time as any for Ferguson to replace his cold eye for a player with dewy sentimentalism but the idea that Jones could become the club's best ever seems a proposition born from a concoction of success and champagne. The young centre-back has made 13 league appearances this season. He is not guaranteed a starting place and has not performed as well as Rafael da Silva, who has played 37 times and scored one of the goals of the season.

On the night when Ryan Giggs picked up as many league titles as Arsenal have managed in their history and Robin van Persie scored a goal of the season contender, Ferguson threw a curveball by praising Jones. But this should not come as a huge surprise.

This is the way Ferguson works. He sees the bigger picture and plans for the future. That's why he has won more league titles than Leeds United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have managed in 445 seasons of league football. While the rest of us were marvelling at Giggs's ability to beat men half his age, Ferguson was recasting his team for the seasons ahead.

Ferguson recognises that his legacy comprises not only the 13 league titles he has won in England but also the foundations he will leave his successor. The older Ferguson becomes, the more he revels in the potential of his younger players.

While assessing his latest title-winners, the manager picked out Da Silva and David de Gea for special praise: "Rafael is incredible. That impetuosity has left him playing with greater maturity now, as the season has progressed. David de Gea has developed fantastically well. I think we have a nucleus of players who are young enough – we expect them to improve."

Perhaps Ferguson is aware of the dilemma Manchester United fans face when assessing the two great managers in the club's history. Both Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby won trophies with spectacular teams that played a special brand of football. They both built and rebuilt teams. They both emphasised the importance of youth and attacking football.

The one thing that could separate these two is the influence they have on the club in their time beyond the dugout. Ferguson has already won more trophies than his mentor, but his next challenge is to secure Manchester United's place in English and European football for the decades to come.

When Busby left Old Trafford, United faltered. They were relegated in 1974 and went 26 years without winning the league title. Ferguson does not want to be associated with such failure, even in his retirement. His greatest achievement, and the one that would take him above Busby and on to a pedestal of his own, would be the creation of a team that outlives him but plays on in his image.

De Gea, Da Silva, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernández and Tom Cleverley could all play their parts. Jones might even take the captaincy. But will he be the future of the club?