By Phil McNulty BBC Sport Online chief football writer

Manchester United may have been bitten once after paying out a British record �28.1m for Juan Sebastian Veron - but Sir Alex Ferguson is not twice shy when it comes to pursuing Rio Ferdinand.

Ferguson is still a confirmed Veron admirer, despite evidence he made an expensive error by disrupting the perfect balances of Manchester United's midfield in a rare barren season.

And the Veron experience has not diminished Ferguson's desire to break the bank again to land �30m-rated Ferdinand.

The reason is simple.

Rio Ferdinand is the player that can bring the title - and possibly even the Champions League - back to Old Trafford.

The same was said about Veron this time last year, but if there is any such commodity as a sure thing in football, it is the gold-plated guarantee that you are buying quality in Ferdinand.

There was a communal raising of eyebrows throughout football when then Leeds United manager David O'Leary paid �18m to take Ferdinand from West Ham United 18 months ago.

He had attracted firm interest from Liverpool and Manchester United, but the price tag proved prohibitive for a player who was not yet the finished article, and mixed undoubted class and promise with the occasional expensive lapse.

It is a clear sign of Ferdinand's development and maturity at Elland Road that the �30m price tag now placed on his head is merely regarded as the going rate for a defender who confirmed his world class during England's World Cup campaign.

Ferdinand is rightly seen by Ferguson as the missing link in a defence that sprung leaks alarmingly last season - but it was still a bold move by the Manchester United boss to pursue such an expensive target.