Rio Ferdinand, a former defender for Manchester United and a pundit for BT Sport, has named the players he would like to see his old team sign in the summer transfer window. He also praised the more recent signing of Wout Weghorst on a six-month loan, saying he is a good fit for manager Erik ten Hag’s style of play.
Weghorst, whose brief stint with Turkish powerhouse Besiktas was cut short this week due to United’s interest, has now joined the Red Devils on loan from Burnley.
The Dutchman was signed by the team without a buy option for the balance of the season as Cristiano Ronaldo’s successor.
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Weghorst was brought in before the Manchester derby against rivals City on BT Sport on Saturday lunchtime, and while the club will aim to sign a more prominent attacking option in the summer, Ferdinand believes he might be a good short-term solution.
“I think this is a Ten Hag signing, and it is basically simply going against what United was doing before. We were buying names maybe before going ‘does this person fit the style we want to play?’,” Ferdinand said to 90min.
The phrase “this is very much not a stylish signature” doesn’t really come to mind. But if you go at Ten Hag’s record at Ajax, you’ll see that he signed [Sebastien] Haller from West Ham when no one else wanted to sign him for the Premier League, and Haller went on to become one of the most feared attackers in Holland.
He was among the top attackers in Champions League football in terms of goals scored throughout the two seasons he played there.
“If you consider Haller as one example, that type of player, a Weghorst, complements the style of play that Erik ten Hag wants to employ, therefore you can understand why he would recruit him. There must be something distinctive about him.
“I don’t believe you can judge him by the Burnley cameo [2 goals in 20 Premier League games last season], and I really think it’s about styles for Erik ten Hag, would he be able to fit into the way we play? in the manner of play I desire? Yes.
“By the way, does he press? Ten Hag does press, and it’s an important aspect of his brand of game. He excels at that. You can now understand why his name would be mentioned — he may not be the “in” answer, but he may be the “out” solution.
In order to finish the current season in the top four and with a trophy, United will be looking to Weghorst. However, talk soon turned to who United should consider as their long-term answer up front if the stars align in the coming months.
Ferdinand was steadfast in his initial decision.
He chuckled, “There’s just one!” There is just one! Mbappe, end of story! Mbappe is the only player you choose because he is the best.
Ferdinand looked to a rival Premier League striker as the solution when asked for a somewhat more realistic goal for the current United captain: “That’s the problem. I’m referring to a best-case situation.
Realistically speaking, Man Utd are probably not going to be his next stop.
“Harry Kane is a 20-goal minimum guarantee if you can get him. All done.