Rio Ferdinand has explained that he feels Manchester United have already missed out on signing one of Rúben Amorim’s perfect players this summer.
Manchester United’s summer overhaul is well underway, with Rúben Amorim making swift and assertive changes as he prepares for his first full season in charge.
Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, and Victor Lindelöf will leave when their contracts expire, while Alejandro Garnacho has reportedly been told he is free to find a new club. Rasmus Højlund is also on the market if a suitable offer comes in.
United are actively looking to sell Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Tyrell Malacia, aiming to raise over £100 million to fund a significant reshaping of the squad.
Amorim has made attacking and midfield reinforcements his top priorities, with a strong focus on improving physicality, intensity, and technical sharpness.
Backed by the club’s hierarchy, he is spearheading one of the boldest squad transformations in recent memory as United seek to build a team capable of meeting the demands of modern Premier League football.
United already missed out on Amorim’s perfect player
Amorim’s formation at United is a rather unique one at Old Trafford, considering that the club have traditionally played with four in defence and three in midfield.
However, under the current head coach, United have played with three centre-backs, two wing-backs, two in midfield, as well as a lone striker with two inside forwards on either side of the front three, all in a 3-4-3 formation.
While the signing of Matheus Cunha for £62.5 million is a brilliant acquisition considering his unique skill set and experience playing in a similar formation, former United centre-back Rio Ferdinand believes United missed out on a perfect signing.
Jeremie Frimpong has signed for Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for around £29.5 million, and would have made a fantastic right wing-back option.
“[Frimpong going to Liverpool] will hurt me a little bit,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube Channel. “He just fits how Rúben Amorim wants to play perfectly.”
United need to focus their transfer efforts elsewhere
While Frimpong would have no doubt been a fantastic addition to United’s right flank, the fact that Amorim already has Amad, who can play both as an inside forward and a wing-back, in their ranks and are gunning for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, make signing a right wing-back not too high of a priority.
Ferdinand continued, explaining that United’s transfer focus now must be on signing a new midfielder and striker this summer, with the latter being an experienced player rather than a young star.
Read More: Manchester United target ‘willing to take pay cut’ to join Rúben Amorim’s team as £40m price tag set
“A centre-forward and a central midfielder should be next. An experienced No. 9, I’d be advising the transfer team to get an experienced No. 9 next.”
United were focusing on signing 22-year-old Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, but he is now expected to sign for Chelsea. Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyökeres are also suitable targets and fit the experienced mould Ferdinand is looking for, but would both cost around £50-60 million.
Furthermore, the absence of Champions League football for United next season makes attracting talents such as the three mentioned above significantly harder.
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